Background
In 1909 under the leadership of the Reverend Robert Byers a building was erected in the Dark Lane district of Londonderry. The building was named "The People's Hall". This became a centre for help and friendship for those in need and those socially excluded, as well as a place for worship and recreation. This building was found to be inadequate for the needs of the area and so in 1933 a new "People's Hall" in Barrack Street was built, which included accommodation for homeless men. The "People's Hall" was an important place of welcome and friendship for many and a home for homeless men. However, the area around the hostel became a place of great civil unrest, with rioting and gunfire a regular occurrence. It became clear that the men could no longer be housed there and so on 2nd February, 1972 the People's Hall was vacated. In less than a week the Hall was destroyed by fire. The Methodist City Mission (MCM) spirit was undaunted and within a month a new premises was purchased at 6 Crawford Square to provide support and accommodation for the men. Initially services offered were limited to overnight sleeping facilities. This was soon extended to a hostel service providing full accommodation for 22 homeless men, in a shared living environment. As a service model designed to meet the needs of homeless people in the early 70's, Number 6 was a progressive solution at the time. The hostel was always well supported by its stakeholders and served a huge need in the community. However, needs change, and the solutions of yesterday must move on to accommodate this. In September 2003, the MCM moved to a new purpose built premises, developed and owned by North & West Housing Ltd, providing 49 units of accommodation to single homeless men, 43 in a shared living environment and 6 in self contained units. The MCM manages the Hostel, including the provision of housing management services, under a management agreement established with North & West and provide support services to residents occupying the premises under a support contract with NIHE. In this premises all residents have their own rooms with individual washing facilities. The premises is equipped to a high specification with facilities designed to develop life skills and to empower residents to move towards independent living, equipping them with skills to sustain tenancies in their own right. Through all this development, the MCM Hostel has retained a homely and friendly atmosphere, in which the dignity and respect of the individual is paramount.