A NUMBER of residents who were staying in temporary emergency accommodation (TEA) provided by a charity which is subject to a government inquiry have been re-homed.
Big Help Project, whose activities include providing accommodation to vulnerable adults, is being investigated by The Charity Commission, which regulates registered charities in England and Wales.
It has multiple accommodation sites in Rhyl, including on River Street, where some households have been moved from.
Though, both Denbighshire County Council and Big Help Project have confirmed that the charity is still providing emergency accommodation in the town.
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Some residents have been moved to the Westminster Hotel, which is used by the council itself to provide emergency accommodation.
A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “During assisting citizens out of homelessness, it is often necessary to move them around while they are in temporary emergency accommodation (TEA).
“As the overall numbers in TEA are reducing over time, we move citizens in order to ensure that they are best-placed where the appropriate support is available to assist them, as has been the case lately.
“However, it has not just been a case of moving citizens out. Of the 20 households that we have utilised the Big Help properties for as TEA, we still have three placed with them in River Street.
“Eight have been assisted to find their own properties and therefore do not require TEA anymore.
“Nine households have been moved into other TEA to provide better support, which includes the Westminster Hotel and other accommodation.”
A Big Help Project spokesperson added: “For providers of TEA, it is standard for tenant numbers to fluctuate, as support needs are identified and tenants progress onto ‘move-on accommodation’.
“Big Help remain a provider of emergency accommodation to Denbighshire County Council, and we are proud to continue to support a number of tenants with the highest standard of emergency accommodation as they progress on their journey away from homelessness.”
Big Help Project opened a hub in Rhyl, at 31 Vale Road (formerly The Prince of Wales pub), last September, to offer such services as food clubs, drop-in advice services, and wellbeing activities.
When contacted by the Journal in April, a Big Help Project spokesperson said “nothing has changed” in the way the hub, or indeed any of its services, are being run since the inquiry was launched.
The Charity Commission first engaged with Big Help Project after identifying a significant increase in its reported income.
It then identified concerns regarding trustee decision making, potential unauthorised trustee benefit and unmanaged conflicts of interest.
A report will be published by the department following the conclusion of the inquiry.
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