Kier has completed a rapid refurbishment of two Victorian villas for Camden Council to provide emergency temporary accommodation for homeless adults in the borough.
The refurbishment of Camden North Villas was completed in just over six months and has seen a building in poor condition transformed into 38 modern self-contained residential dwellings, including new staff office space and facilities. Camden Council will now use the newly named North Villas Hostel to provide supported accommodation to homeless adults.
The new hostel will provide tailored services to support residents to successfully move on to independent living, and one such service is the new ‘Client Passport’ pilot — thought to be the first pilot of its kind for people who have experienced homelessness. The ‘Client Passport’ will record their details, personal experiences and needs and will reduce the number of times that residents are required to repeat them when they engage with an organisation, such as a healthcare or housing provider.
Residents at Camden North Villas will also have access to onsite health and wellbeing care as well as dedicated ‘Move On’ staff who will work closely with them to secure their own housing.
Kier worked alongside the council’s Capital Works Team and construction consultants Pellings LLP to deliver the £3m project, clearing and stripping out the property, before designing the refurbishment and carrying out construction.
With 38 modern studio apartment rooms, the hostel provides each resident with their own room that includes a kitchenette and bathroom, helping to prepare them for independent and safe living.
The project was delivered by Kier Places, a Kier business which delivers residential, workplace and building solutions in places where people live and work across the UK.
Claire Kershaw, Regional Director for Kier Places Residential Solutions, said: “Alongside a rapid turnaround and high quality finish, we are proud to have delivered this important project which will support vulnerable members of the Camden community. North Villas will hopefully now provide them with a safe space to help them rebuild their lives.
“Our team has done a fantastic job in just six months and that has been made possible by the excellent relationship we have built with the London Borough of Camden and their consultants, Pellings LLP.”
Councillor Meric Apak, Camden Cabinet Member for Better Homes, said: “In Camden we are investing £10m each year to ensure that every one of our residents who experiences homelessness can access accommodation, employment, and the support they need. This is resulting in better outcomes for some of our most vulnerable residents and helping more people to move on from homelessness.
“The service we will provide at North Villas will be that vital last step in our pathway — offering tailored support to help each individual accommodated there to find and sustain their own accommodation, and to access training and employment and health and wellbeing care, so that they can successfully make the transition to independent living.”
Lee Glickman, Partner at Pellings LLP, said: “The project was a big challenge due to the complexity and scale of the project and the very short timescales. By all parties working closely together, we delivered a fantastic facility for the Camden Temporary Accommodation Team to run in order to promote independent living for homeless adults from all backgrounds in the borough.
“Pellings were proud to have been part of this project from inception through to completion and were proud to be working with the London Borough of Camden and Kier.”
