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20
WELFARE SERVICES
TEMPORARY ACCOMMODATION
It is the Council's responsibility to provide temporary accommodation for persons who, owing to
sudden or unforeseen circumstances, are rendered homeless (Section 21(l)(b) National Assistance Act, 1948).
The standard charge per family is £2, but those who cannot afford to pay this amount are assessed according
to the Council's scheme. The minimum charge is £1 per family. The charge covers the use of a room,
electricity for lighting, and water services including a reasonable supply of hot water for domestic purposes.
The Council provides three hostels. The hostel at 91 Dartmouth Road is for women and children
only, with accommodation for 16 women and 36 children. In addition, there is a communal emergency room
providing accommodation for 3 women and up to 15 children. A resident warden is employed. In 1963,
a committee was formed on the basis of a League of Friends and was named "Friends of 91". Plans are well
advanced for the provision of a playroom in the garden incorporating a covered sand pit. The "Friends
of 91", with financial help from the Willesden Round Table, are providing the prefabricated building, and
the Council is providing the site and floor slabs, lining to the internal walls and ceiling, rainwater drainage,
painting, heating and lighting. There is an outside playground for use in fine weather and a play group has
been established for children between the ages of 2 and 5 years. This group is supervised by a leader who
attends three days a week from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. during school term time.
The hostel at 9/11 Nicoll Road is also under the supervision of a resident warden. Accommodation
is provided for 9 families including accommodation for 2 husbands and 28 children. The problem of providing
a satisfactory fire escape has been solved, the work costing £1,240.
The third hostel, "Rosmoyne", 642 Harrow Road, Wembley occupies a very pleasant position on
the fringe of Barham Park, and the accommodation for 5 families is reserved entirely for married couples and
their children. There is no warden in residence, but the warden at Nicoll Road attends once a week to
supervise cleaning arrangements.
During the year, 49 families were admitted to the hostels. Thirteen families were re-housed, 8 by
the Council and 5 by other local authorities.
RESIDENTIAL ACCOMMODATION
The total number of beds provided under Section 21(l)(a) of the National Assistance Act, 1948,
is now 466, allocated as shown below: —
Beds
Coplands 62 Men and Women
Courtfield 44 Men and Women
Freeland Road 47 Women
Hillcrest 100 Men and Women
Ithcll Court 39 Men and Women
Kenton Grange 34 Men and Women
Kingsbury Manor 23 Women
Mardale 18 Women
Shepperton Court 71 Men and Women
Wren Park 28 Women
"Courtfield", the new purpose built home at Church Hill, Harefield, was opened in May 1965.
In December, the annexe at "Mardale" was closed due to inadequate heating and the 8 men accommodated
there were transferred to "Courtfield". The annexe is now used for the storage of property under Section
48 of the National Assistance Act.
During the year 51 men and 128 women were admitted to the Council's homes, and on 31st December
4 men and 27 women were on the waiting list for admission.
In addition to the old people accommodated in the above homes, the Council is responsible for the
maintenance of another 177 residents in voluntary and other local authority homes.
Sixteen men and 32 women were admitted to short stay accommodation during the year.
WELFARE OF THE BLIND AND PARTIALLY SIGHTED
Blind
On 31st December, there were 525 persons on the register. There were 35 new cases (excluding recertifications
and transfers from other areas) during the year. The classification of blind persons by age
groups and at age of onset of blindness are shown in Tables 22 and 23. One hundred and twenty-three of the
registered blind persons suffer from additional physical and/or mental handicaps.
Of the children under 5 years of age, four are at home with parents and one attends the Spastic
Centre, Cheyne Walk, S.W.3. The nine children of school age attend special schools for the blind, and a girl
of 16 attends the Royal Normal College, London. Two men are undergoing professional/university training
in London at the Kennington College and the Royal National Institute for the Blind Training College. One
girl obtained a Bachelor of Divinity Degree.
One hundred and twenty-three persons were in full employment, and an analysis of their occupations
is shown in Table 24.
Forty-one persons were in accommodation provided by local authorities, 7 were in other residential
voluntary homes and 17 were in hospital.