A hotel has been turned into a haven for 25 homeless men and women who might otherwise find themselves walking the streets.

The former bed and breakfast hotel, just off the seafront in Brighton, was acquired in 2002 by the William Sutton Housing Association on behalf of Brighton Housing Trust.

The two associations have just completed the £5 million first phase of a major refurbishment of the property.

It was officially opened by Lord Bassam, former leader of Brighton and Hove City Council and Government whip in the Lords, along with Brighton Housing Trust's life president, Patricia Norman.

As a former squatter, Lord Bassam has campaigned on issues of housing and homelessness in Brighton since he arrived in the city as a student in the Seventies.