THE FIRST residents on a homeless scheme have moved into their new home.

Four rough sleepers have taken up residence in the former Carfax NHS Medical Centre. Over the coming weeks they will be joined at least eight others.

It is part of a Swindon Borough Council-led scheme that will see some of Swindon’s hardest-to-reach homeless given a bed, training and – at the end of the 12-week project – council accommodation.

The borough’s head of housing said that the opening of the centre this week had passed off “really well.”

“They’re all delighted with what we’ve got to offer them,” Mike Ash said of the centre’s first residents. “The first night went off without incident.

“We’re gradually going to step up our numbers next week.”

He said that volunteers at the centre had prepared dinner for the residents, who then sat working on jigsaw puzzles before heading to bed.

Mike said: “It’s going to be difficult for them settling down for the first night, as they’re used to different sleeping patterns.”

The scheme, which opened on Wednesday evening, is backed by a number of Swindon charities, including Threshold Housing Link, the Big Breakfast and Swindon Foodbank.

Residents on the scheme - which has space for between 12 and 18 - have been selected from rough sleepers around the town.

They will be given a bed, their meals and life-skills training. At the end of the 12-week scheme, the council hopes to offer each person a place in council accommodation. Other councils are understood to be following the progress of the scheme with interest.

The project has been sparked by rising numbers of homeless in Swindon. The town has seen numbers rise by 78 per cent in five years. It is estimated that there are up to 25 persistent rough sleepers in Swindon.

Mike Ash said: “The need has gone up in Swindon.

“If we can turn the lives around for these people [on the Carfax scheme] that would be a fantastic result.”

Those homeless people not selected for the project, who may be more resistant to embracing support, would continue to be supported by council staff and the Threshold homeless outreach team.

The borough’s Mike issued a plea for more volunteers to support the project, taking one of three shifts through the night.

So far, the council have received around 100 applications from would-be volunteers – but have asked for more.

The housing chief said: “We’ve got enough volunteers trained up who can cover us over the next few weeks. But to give us more resilience, we’d always welcome more people to volunteer.”

To register your interest in volunteering, email: RHolley@swindon.gov.uk.