A HOSTEL providing shelter for the homeless has been given a £50,000 facelift thanks to a cash boost from councillors.

Ryedale District Council has taken over the lease for 37 Castlegate, in Malton, and has revamped the property in a bid to provide improved accommodation for homeless people and to give residents the opportunity to develop new skills.

As part of the Government's £90 million Hostels Capital Improvement Programme (HCIP) for such facilities throughout the UK, the refurbished hostel will provide support for residents with the help of a resettlement officer and a housing activities organiser.

They will help residents move into independent accommodation, as well as offering access to education, training and employment.

The HCIP was launched by the government in January 2005 with an aim of enabling hostels to become "places of change".

Richard Etherington, housing services manager for the district council, said: "The Government felt that too many people were staying in temporary accommodation for far too long, often with poor conditions and services that failed to motivate them.

"This was definitely the case for 37 Castlegate, which was privately run for many years - with little or no services to offer residents, who were left to their own devices.

As such, many problems had occurred with the building.

"We are confident with the new structures in place that the services provided to the vulnerable people within the area are much improved.

"We want the community to begin to see the hostel as a positive place to live, and from which to progress."

Mr Etherington said it is the intention of Ryedale District Council to provide the best opportunities for residents.

He said many of 37 Castlegate's residents had found themselves in need of accommodation through no fault of their own, and also needed an opportunity to move into work and into a settled home.

He said: "We want to demonstrate that hostels can be the centres of excellence and a choice which positively changes lives.

"It is hoped that services that engage will be provided by motivated staff in welcoming buildings and will end the stagnation that has occurred and create a place of change'.

"Homelessness can de-skill and isolate people, so the challenge for us working with homeless people is to provide them with the necessary skills to integrate them back into society and enable them to make a meaningful contribution."