04 May 2011

The Guardian exposes Hammersmith Tories' closure of mental health hostel

Although Hammersmith and Fulham council's own draft Supporting People strategy says that mental health accommodation in the borough is oversubscribed, the Tory council took the decision last month to close the 14-unit Tamworth hostel for adults with mental health problems such as schizophrenia, severe depression, alcoholism and drug dependency.

All the staff will be made redundant and the building sold (with this council, there’s always a property angle).

The Guardian has the details (hat tip to the Shepherd’s Bush blog). It says, “There's a feeling that with this sort of closure, we're getting a glimpse into austerity's darkest corners – corners where sufferers of severe mental illness rot in substandard B&Bs, or end up on the street.”

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