Action for Housing welcome Europa accommodation

Action for Housing welcomed Gibraltar Government’s plans for an accommodation block that could house key workers and homeless men, which it described as “long overdue”.

Earlier this week this newspaper reported that the Government had filed plans for a 256 bed block with over 110 rooms, with the Town Planner.

The building will be constructed near St Christopher’s Alley in Europa Point, on a site that is currently unused and vacant.

“The construction of this facility is long overdue given that the construction of such a facility was announced by Government in October 2020,” Action for Housing said in response to the announcement.

“At the time [the Government] said it would construct a 20-storey, 665-bed hostel at the site of the MOT centre.”

“This never materialised, and we very much hope that this one will.”

“If indeed it goes ahead, we wish to know how many beds will be earmarked for homeless single men.”

“We also wish to know whether these allocations will be subject to those homeless men who have been approved as such by the Housing Allocation Committee after the established procedure.”

Action for Housing also asked whether these allocations will be temporary and only until such time as the occupants reach the top of the waiting list and given permanent allocations.

“Lastly we wish to know whether the Government plans to accommodate in this new facility those who now live at the Queens Hotel Hostel, and if this should not be possible because the Queens Hotel Hostel is demolished before the new facility becomes available where will these persons be housed,” Action for Housing said.