South Haven to dose

Press, 26 February 1982, Page 4

South Haven to dose

Unless new premises are found, the South Haven hostel for the disabled will close in March. Run by the Methodist Central Mission the hostel in Barrington Street, is substandard.

The Central Missioner, the Rev. W. E. Falkingham, said that it would need a lot of money spent on it to comply with regulations 'but that, even if that were done, the building would not be suitable for the purpose.

There was no separate accommodation for staff, and the residents were sharing rooms, he said. “We recognised from the start that the property was not ideal, but we began the hostel as an experiment because the building was offered and because there was a need,” said Mr Falkingham. With the help of Goverment departments and land agents, the mission had been looking for a suitable property to relocate the hostel. The Government had offered to subsidise running costs, but there had been no suitable premises available, said Mr Falkingham. Plans had been drawn up to build a new hostel at an estimated cost of $150,000. But they had been scrapped when the Government withdrew support in an effort to reduce spending, Mr Falkingham said.