A Hornchurch home may be reimagined as temporary housing for young and vulnerable parents and their babies, if a planning application is approved.
Currently a four-bedroom residential property, the submission to Havering Council is asking to change the use because its applicant, Oluwakemi Ogundipe, identified a lack of provisions for parents requiring support in the area.
The home would act as a temporary solution, where young families can stay for around 12 weeks and get access to teams experienced in social work, psychotherapy, psychiatry and other services.
The planning documents reference a 2017 report by the children’s commissioner which said 670,000 children in England were growing up in ‘high-risk’ family situations.
The documents describe Ms Ogundipe’s proposal as looking to “help young parents and their children who are in vulnerable situations and need family life assistance in a secure environment whilst in temporary accommodation”.
It is also said the client has “vast knowledge and experience of family intervention support”, though no evidence of this is given.
The applicant’s agent, Aarkz Design, was approached for comment.
View the application using the reference P0518.22.
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