New provider needed for Northampton homeless accommodation in same building as Hope Centre - but council promises secure tenancy for charity

The accommodation in Oasis House, Campbell Street, is run by Midland Heart and provides up to 58 individuals with a place to sleep and aims to help them transition into longer-term accommodation.

At a West Northamptonshire Council cabinet meeting on Tuesday (June 3), it was agreed that a procurement process to commission a new support provider will commence, as the contract with Midland Heart runs out at the end of September.

The cabinet heard that the current provider has no intention of extending the contract, so a new provider will need to be in place and ready to take over the provision from the start of October. The new contract will be signed for three-and-a-half years, with the possibility to extend for another 12 months. The contract will be funded by the government’s Rough Sleeping Prevention and Recovery Grant.

Also based in Oasis House is homeless charity The Hope Centre. The new provider will not affect the charity’s operations and the council has promised that the charity will have a secure tenancy at Oasis House, for as long as it wants it.

A spokesman for the charity said: “Northampton Hope Centre has been working with senior executives and councillors and have had confirmation that the commissioning of the support services for residents at Oasis House, announced at the recent West Northamptonshire Council Cabinet Meeting, will not impact on the services provided by Northampton Hope Centre for people experiencing homelessness.”

Alex Copeland, chief executive of Northampton Hope Centre, added: “I am grateful for the commitment West Northamptonshire Council has provided Hope for many years, although we have seen a change in the council elected leadership over past month, I have welcomed the continued support from West Northamptonshire Council for the work we do with people who are homeless or in hardship.”

Speaking at the cabinet meeting, WNC Labour leader, Councillor Sally Keeble, said: “The funding for Oasis House was originally provided on the understanding that it would provide a stable home for The Hope Centre.

“It has been a beacon of best practice, not just locally, but nationally.

“However, there has been constant pressure on its space.

“In my view, and I’ve been a patron of Hope for some time, it has very much been a story of let down and betrayal by successive councils.

“If these plans go ahead, I would ask firstly that there is an absolute guarantee that Hope is not made homeless. It must be given an absolute guarantee that it will be able to continue to operate from Oasis House, that it won’t have to discontinue its services that have been so valuable.

“I would also ask that it would still be able to bid for some support from this council for its services and that it’s not all scooped up for the new providers.”

In response, Jane Carr director of communities and opportunities for WNC said: “It is a support provision that is outside of Hope’s support.

“We will be working with them [The Hope Centre] to provide a secure tenancy until such time as they want to move to another premises, so we are fully committed to having them in that space until such time that they find better provision.”

The news of a new provider follows cabinet approval earlier this year to acquire Oasis House, which the council says will secure its future as a cornerstone of WNC’s homelessness prevention strategy.

Councillor Charlie Hastie, Cabinet Member for Housing at WNC added: “The recommissioning of this service ensures a vital lifeline remains in place at Oasis House, providing person-centred support to help residents move forward and reduce repeated homelessness.

“This will also play an essential role in our wider strategy to improve housing stability, health outcomes, and community wellbeing across West Northamptonshire.”

The current provider will continue to provide the service during the procurement process and until the contract ends.