Second home owners urged to help house NHS staff during crisis

SECOND home owners are being urged to open up their homes to emergency workers on the front line of the fight to stop the coronavirus pandemic.

An appeal has gone out to the owners of empty houses, holiday lets or even caravans to offer free accommodation to health care workers in need of temporary accommodation.

With tourists being urged to stay away from North Wales, hundreds of holiday homes of

Anglesey and Gwynedd should be lying empty.

Not-for-profit social enterprise Menter Môn says they should be made available to emergency workers to self isolate or avoid long commutes to work. It is launching an online portal called Ciando where second home owners can offer up their property for free use by frontline emergency workers.

A Menter Môn spokesperson said: “We want to offer these empty accommodations for people who are working in the emergency services and health sector to offer them temporary homes during this difficult time.

“It’s going to be hard for many who may be working in the NHS and/or police force to travel back and forth from their homes to their workplaces day to day, especially if they live with other vulnerable people.”

The move is the latest in a line of measures introduced over recent weeks to support the community during a difficult time for many. A new food bank has been set up in Llangefni, Anglesey to meet growing demand between Anglesey Council, the existing Anglesey Food Bank, the Citizens Advice Bureau and Menter Môn. Anglesey Council’s head of housing services, Ned Michael said: “This new pop up will be used as a delivery only service allowing Anglesey Food Bank to store more supplies during these turbulent times.”