A HOMELESS shelter is receiving a full-scale overhaul to provide better support for vulnerable members of the Bournemouth community.

The one million pound refurbishment project at Bournemouth Churches Housing Association’s St Paul’s hostel is providing improved health and wellbeing facilities.

Once complete, the 40-bed hostel will feature 39 rooms with en-suites - compared to 10 at present - a new gym, internal recovery café and improved doctor’s and nurse’s facilities.

The revamp is due to be finished in March 2018.

Maggie Roj, team manger of the St Paul’s hostel, said: “We’ve started working on the improvement for the living and health provision of the customers to St Paul’s.

“We are providing services here for people who lived within the Bournemouth community and experienced homelessness, complex trauma.

“It’s about improving their living conditions, improving the life skills as well as improving the health provision for customers in the project and the wider community.”

The project is being funded by the Homes and Community Agency’s Homelessness Change Program and being carried out by Spetisbury Construction.

The development incorporates BCHA’s Inspiring Change ethos of providing psychologically informed environments.

The layout, colours and furnishings used in the renovation have been specifically chosen to support the well-being of the hostels occupants.

The improved rooms at St Paul’s have all been assigned to customers ahead of the March completion and they have had an active role in the decision-making process.

“For the customer it will massively improve their living conditions,” Mrs Roj added.

“It will allow people to gain more skills for life, employment and self care, as well as boosting their self-esteem.

“We will be able to work more on showing them they have skills for life and will be able to progress.

“Sometimes this can be very difficult if the accommodation is not appropriate for them.”