The Salvation Army men's hostel in Invercargill will close on October 12.

The decision, announced this morning, comes after an engineer's earthquake report in May revealed the 107-year-old Leven St building was a serious earthquake risk.

Salvation Army Supportive Accommodation national director Captain Gerry Walker said the closure would affect 14 full and part-time staff.

Seventeen residents were still at the centre. Some of the centre’s long-term residents had already been relocated.

Many of the residents were parolees or community mental health patients and The Salvation Army was working with government agencies to relocate those still at the centre.

The Salvation Army had been exploring options for opening another supportive accommodation facility in the city since May.

"t’s frustrating and disappointing to close Leven St without having an alternative established but creating a new centre from scratch in a few months has not been possible," Mr Walker said.

It was still the Salvation Army’s intention to re-establish supportive accommodation and prisoner reintegration services in the city, he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Comments