TEMPORARY accommodation has been constructed for homeless people in Newport as part of the emergency response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Newport City Council has overseen the construction of 15 portable cabins near Usk Way in the city centre.

Another unit with washing facilities and a wardens’ block has also been built on a fenced-off, undeveloped area of land owned by the city council.

MORE NEWS:

Cllr Jane Mudd, Newport City Council’s leader, said she hoped the temporary accommodation would “help us provide more people with a secure and supported place to stay”.

The council has received the backing of the Welsh Government for the site. At the start of the coronavirus lockdown, local authorities across Wales were instructed to help homeless people into accommodation for their own safety.

A council spokesman said temporary accommodation units such as these cabins were already being used “successfully” by other local authorities in Wales.

The scheme, he added, “will help the council cope with increasing demand and reduced alternative solutions”.

The cabins have been provided by Severn Ready Solutions, a Newport company which normally supplies the same type of accommodation to construction companies whose workers have to live on-site.

The Newport council spokesman said the site was being managed 24 hours a day and its residents were being supported with “a range of services” including food deliveries.

Several city charities and organisations dedicated to helping the homeless and rough-sleepers are also on board with the scheme, including the Wallich, the Eden Gate scheme, the Salvation Army, the Olive Branch day centre, and social housing group Pobl.

“We have been working with [this] range of specialist organisations... to provide people not only with a roof over their heads but also a comprehensive package of support including access to health professionals, food and personal items,” the council spokesman added.

Cllr Mudd said: “We are being supported by the Welsh Government as we share a common wish to provide safe and appropriate accommodation for all those sleeping rough.

“Our housing team has been doing a sterling job to put a roof over the heads of people who live complex and chaotic lives.”

The council leader added: “Our priority, and that of our partners remains to support people to get off the streets permanently, by addressing the barriers that are preventing that from happening.”