Hostel to close

One hundred men living at a hostel in Paisley were under threat of being made homeless.

A group of Strathclyde Regional councillors wanted the authority to quit running Douglas House, in Arthur Street, we reported in May 1977.

The withdrawal warning about the model lodging house for 115 men disclosed that £167,000 was needed to bring the hostel up to proper building and fire standards. Annual running costs were £57,000.

The only hope of survival was if Renfrew District Council took on the extra commitment.

A stunned hostel supervisor, who told of the threat, said:“Where would all the men go?”

Strathclyde’s social work department had provided the staff and management since local government reorganisation in May 1975.

Before then, the department was under Paisley Burgh Council.

The social work department was legally responsible for only seven of the 115 residents.

And it ran a homeless family unit which provided emergency hostel accommodation for 10 people.

Fred Edwards, Strathclyde’s social work director, said the department should withdraw from Douglas House because of the high costs when it was legally responsible for only seven men.

He proposed the seven should go other social work residential accommodation, and arrangements made for the homeless families with Renfrew District Council.

This was a agreed by a regional council sub-committee.