I am writing in response to the Yearsley Bridge article involving Barrie Stephenson (The Press, January 22). At People First, a self-advocacy group, we were asked to support the parents of those who go to Yearsley Bridge. We could not help but disagree with some of what Mr Stephenson said.

We do not object to change but we want it to be done properly. Mr Stephenson said the parents' campaign is "wasting effort and council officers' time"- more time should have been given.

It was the way the consultation was done that we objected to. It did not give the parents enough time to work with the council.

There are no definite alternative services in place and the closure is now imminent. The consultation should have started years ago. It was the complete lack of information passed on to parents by the council that triggered the campaign and People First's involvement.

Obviously, parents who still care for their children at home have far deeper concerns as to how their children's days will be filled. For parents whose children are cared for elsewhere, the best outcome possible is still hoped for, but the impact on home life is greatly reduced.

Also, we know and accept that the building is going. It's not the disappearing bricks and mortar we object to. The key to what Yearsley Bridge offers is not the building but the community space (hydrotherapy pool and light room not withstanding). Nowhere else is equipped for adults with complex needs.

The idea that meeting up in town centre cafés is a viable alternative is nonsense. Nowhere in the city centre has even an appropriate toilet area (changing places). We know there are plans in place but they have only until May to build them.

The skills the staff had at Yearsley Bridge are lost as workers move to secure jobs. Invaluable skills are disappearing to be replaced by agency staff with no specialist training for this very vulnerable group of people.

We are not campaigning to keep Yearsley Bridge open. We too embrace progress and change. But how can such a specialised centre close when nothing exists to replace it?

Gavin Harding, chairperson York People First, Heworth Hall Drive, Heworth, York.

  • Upon regularly passing into York along Clarence Street, like many others, I'm sure, I have noticed the progress made on the new building on the Union Terrace car park. Perhaps it's a new day centre to replace the condemned Yearsley site. But of course not, I soon remembered that it's the new site for the homeless.

A three-storey building is a considerable investment to replace the present site on Leeman Road. There are many reasons why people are homeless, and their circumstances are unenviable.

However, the vast majority will have had some choice as to the lifestyle choice they made which may have contributed to their present plight, be it drugs, crime, debt, or a breakdown in relationships.

Those who use Yearsley never had that luxury of choice in the first place. Their circumstances were dealt to them by a cruel twist of fate at birth or subsequent illness. That centre will be closed before a replacement is identified and properly equipped, if ever.

They are generally however a silent group, unlike others. They do not appear as attractive in publicity terms as other groups. Perhaps the council and Government continue to hope they might go away.

The needs of the homeless are being met by a publicly-funded hostel.

Is it really too much to ask in this day and age for a central purpose-built site to be provided that meets the needs of those who need it and their families?

Steve Smith, Haxby, York.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "The shift of support out of Yearsley Bridge into the community is part of a national requirement from Government. It will result in a much broader range of choices for people, to fit in with their own preferences for how they like to spend their time.

"The council is not making any budget savings from this work - all the budgets for running services will be available to fund community supports.

"We have always said that some of the replacement services would not be ready this summer - the pool at Oaklands will not be ready until spring, 2009. People who use the hydrotherapy pool will be able to continue to use Yearsley Bridge as their base until the new facility at Oaklands is ready. We think that will be no more than about 15 people. We expect arrangements for other customers to be in place by this summer.

"There has been a huge programme of consultation with individual people and their families and we have confirmed with people what their support package will look like in the future. We are now putting arrangements in place to set these packages up.

"The reference to Arc Light is misleading. These projects were never in competition with each other and the council obtained over £3 million additional Government funding to cover the building costs.

"Arc Light is a place where people live, which is why a specific building in the right location was needed. That is very different to a system of support that enables people to use a range of facilities across the city - many of which already exist."