East Suffolk Council is leading a coordinated, multi-agency response to this devastating news, involving its Housing, Legal, Finance and Procurement teams, alongside key external partners.
Access Community Trust currently provides 87 bed spaces for homeless and rough sleeper services across East Suffolk. We are deeply concerned that all Access delivered services including Bridge View Day Centre, Sam’s Café and Employment Services are at risk of immediate closure, however we have made significant progress regarding beds.
Our priority is to ensure that nobody is left without a safe place to stay or access to essential support services. Therefore, we have activated an Emergency Response Plan to ensure that all vulnerable residents currently supported by Access Community Trust continue to receive safe and appropriate accommodation.
Through working in partnership with recognised providers during the past 48 hours, we have been able to ensure 75 of the bed spaces will be retained and that residents will be able to remain, with an alternative, trusted support service. We have also agreed a short-term solution to the remaining 12 beds, meaning that no-one will be asked to leave their home today.
We also recognise that Access is a significant local employer, with more than 200 staff and volunteers, many of whom have themselves experienced similar issues. We are preparing to support staff wherever possible, and work is under way with partners to provide urgent advice and assistance to staff who may face sudden financial uncertainty due to unpaid wages or potential redundancies.
Our overarching aim is to minimise hardship for everyone affected by this and we are entirely committed to safeguarding residents, supporting staff and maintaining essential services during this challenging period.