We are delighted to announce the opening of our newly extended service ‘Hicks House’ situated next to our hostel on Hunston Road, Chichester. In partnership with Chichester District Council, just over a year ago the decision was made to extend the existing building, originally built in 2015, by doubling the number of self-contained studio flats.
‘Hicks House’, named in memory of Andy Hicks. Andy was an ex-client who successfully moved on through the Stonepillow services to enjoy living independently and worked for Stonepillow as a support worker, inspiring and guiding many people to follow in his footsteps. He was a highly valued and much-loved member of the Stonepillow team, and his legacy will now live on through ‘Hicks House’.
With a short deadline for the application and designs to be submitted to the Ministry of Housing Communities & Local Government via Chichester District Council, the Stonepillow Board of Trustees took the brave step and committed to delivering the project in 7-months. Once confirmation of the successful application was announced in September 2020, this meant all the project being completed by the 31st March 2021 was a condition of the funding, however due to the pandemic, this was extended to June 2021 and consequently the works were completed on time.
Lots of hours and dedication went in to transforming ‘The Lodge’ over the 7 months.
Councillor Alan Sutton, Cabinet Member for Housing, Communications, Licensing and Events at Chichester District Council said:
“As a council we are really proud to work in partnership with Stonepillow to help transform lives. In 2019, we had 32 rough sleepers in Chichester, and this has now reduced to three. This is thanks to the dedication of the staff, volunteers and officers who are working together to make a difference to the lives of those who are most vulnerable.” “This is why Hicks House is so important. It provides the next step to helping people move onto accessing their own accommodation. Providing high quality accommodation to give a safe and supported space is vital to giving people the confidence to rebuild their lives.”
‘The Lodge’ before it was extended
Hick’s House opening
