Green light for Hutt St Centre upgrade

Hutt St Centre has welcomed news its proposed upgrade has been given the go-ahead, saying the planned improvements will allow it to better help people out of homelessness.

Hutt St Centre CEO Chris Burns said the improvements would ultimately allow the centre “to better help clients out of homelessness and cater for the growing number of women and young families” using its services.

“This is not an expansion, but an internal improvement to a well-used building that has needed a long-overdue upgrade,” Mr Burns said.

“The upgrade will improve the quality of services and facilities for our clients and help with the critical process of assisting them out of homelessness into housing, education, employment and where appropriate, reconnection with families and communities.”

Mr Burns said the improvements would increase space within the centre’s existing premises, with minor alterations to the entry and façade. The upgrade would ensure the building would be more aesthetically pleasing from the outside and provide more areas for people to be active inside rather than congregating on the footpath.

Hutt St Centre has seen a significant increase in women, including those with children, experiencing domestic violence and homelessness accessing its services. Mr Burns said a key feature of the redevelopment would be much-needed separate private areas for women and children, including an internal play area.

“We are very proud of the centre’s redesign, which we finalised after extensive and positive consultations with residents and traders,” Mr Burns said.

Read the full story here: https://thesoutherncross.org.au/news/2020/04/28/green-light-for-hutt-st-centre-upgrade/