Gateway: Calico open £3.5m homeless facility

Called Gateway, the state-of-the-art centre has been specifically designed to have a telling social impact in the area and provide key life-changing services to some of the North West's most vulnerable people who would otherwise be likely to struggle to access support.

Built by Ring Stones Maintenance and Construction on Mitre Street, Gateway will pool the expertise of organisations across The Calico Group - including Calico Enterprise, Acorn Recovery Projects, and Calico Homes - to deliver a more purposeful and imaginative programme with the help of a passionate team who work in tandem with external agencies, such as police and Inspire Drug and Alcohol Service.

“We’re delighted to see Gateway finally open its doors," said Anthony Duerden, Chief Executive of The Calico Group. "It’s a fantastic looking building, and we’d like to thank the team at Ring Stones for all the hard work they put in.

“Gateway will deliver much-needed support with rehousing, health and employment that will provide a lifeline for some of the most vulnerable people in our community," he added. "It will be a vital resource for the area."

With 26 rooms and four direct access rooms, Gateway offers a settled environment for residents to make positive changes to plan for their future and improve their way of life, with its opening following the recent announcement of the government’s Rough Sleeping Strategy, which aims to eradicate rough sleeping in England by 2027.

“With the government placing a renewed focus on ending rough sleeping in England, we’re proud to do our bit in the North West through the services delivered at Gateway," Anthony continued.

“Delivering these essential services through Gateway will allow us to continue to strengthen our organisation, expand our offer, and better meet our purpose of ‘making a real difference to people’s lives’.”