Leading headlines in the Hampshire Chronicle on August 8, "It's the right facility in the wrong place" says an understandably delighted Hyde Gate resident.

But that raises the question of where is the right place? A remote rural setting, some distance from urban facilities and specialist staffing resources? Or another urban setting inevitably inhabited by concerned neighbours? There are no easy answers. There are no quick fixes.

A year ago over 50 neighbours of Milford House in St Cross signed a petition(reported by the Chronicle in March this year) expressing much the same concerns as the Hyde Gate residents but also involving malicious damage to property and an attempted break-in. Many of the neighbours, including young children, teenagers, adults with special needs and frail elderly persons, many of whom have lived locally for 30 years or more, have been seriously affected by the anti-social behaviour of Milford House residents. Incidentally, not one of those petitioners called for the closure of Milford House but requested that it be restored to its previous purpose of admitting 'responsible' persons on the Council Housing waiting list for Council-provided or sponsored accommodation.

Not surprisingly as the spokesperson for the St Cross based petitioners I have been tasked to enquire whether any of the 29 residents of West View House will be relocated to Milford House over the next few months and since there is one less homeless person's unit in the county will that place even more pressure on Milford House and compromise the recent improvements, largely down to the new onsite manager (Laura Wilson) and the City Council's new Head of Housing (Simon Hendey).

His task is not made easier by Hampshire County Council's unilateral decision to remove all but legally required funding for supported housing last year in its search for £132m savings. We await the outcome of their subsequent population consultation in October but as their former Director of Social Services for 17 years I was personally very disappointed with that short-sighted decision in a County experiencing increased homelessness over recent years and already desperately short of appropriate accommodation and counselling services.

The Milford House petition will be presented to the City Housing Committee chaired by Cllr Westwood in November when we shall hear the outcome of their own consultations & programme of work.

In the meantime, we very much hope that between the County and City Councils, working with their partners in the voluntary & social enterprise sectors find sustainable solutions to these pressing issues.

Terence Butler CBE MA,

Lansdowne Avenue,

St Cross,

Winchester

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