THE head of a homelessness charity is supporting calls to close a notorious emergency homeless accommodation.

Andy Winter, the chief executive of housing and homelessness charity, BHT (Brighton Housing Trust) Sussex, is supporting calls to close Kendal Court in Newhaven following another death at its premises.

The accommodation is used by Brighton and Hove City Council to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people.

Between 2016 and 2018 a total of eight residents have died in Kendal Court, officials said the latest death occurred on December 10 2021.

Andy Winter said: “Accommodating vulnerable, sometimes chaotic people, is not easy nor is it cheap, and I do not envy the councillors and officers at the city council whose responsibility it is to make provision for such emergency accommodation. It requires far more than mere housing.

"It requires skilled and experienced staff on site to assess and support residents.

“The Phase One project run by BHT Sussex accommodates 52 residents. It has staff on duty 24 hours a day.

"Where particular vulnerabilities are identified we put in additional safeguards, including welfare checks throughout the night.

“I believe that it is time to close Kendal Court. This is not a knee-jerk reaction, as suggested by the Chair of the Housing Committee.

"The frequency of deaths over several years is evidence that placing people away from the city, with limited support, is a recipe for tragedy.

“The city council has the perfect opportunity to do so as the contract for the provision of such emergency accommodation is due to be recommissioned this year.

"I call on the council to make a clear and unambiguous statement that Kendal Court will not feature in its commissioning plans and that it will be closed.”

It comes after East Sussex County Council also called for the closure in December.

Speaking at a meeting of the East Sussex health and wellbeing board, the council's Conservative leader councillor Keith Glazier said: “If I was the leader of Brighton and Hove City Council and if I was the chair of their health and wellbeing board I would be asking my officers ‘how can this happen again?'”

According to meeting papers, BHCC has told ESCC it is not "intentionally" placing people with complex needs into Kendal Court and is of the opinion it is fulfilling its statutory duties as set out in the Care Act.