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31
Institutions
These are maintained by the Voluntary Associations, and
appear to be of two types: (i) Short Stay Hostels, (ii) Long Stay
Hostels.
Short Stay Hostels are sometimes known as Shelters or
Refuges. They frequently admit girls in moral danger, homeless
and stranded girls, in addition to pregnant girls. The stay is
normally limited to two or three months before and after the
baby is born.
Long Stay Hostels in which the period of stay may exceed
six months and from where the mother may go out to work.
There is at present a definite shortage of both long and short
stay accommodation, and there is little likelihood of the
Voluntary Association being able to increase the accommodation
without very substantial financial support. The provision of a
hostel of the long stay type would relieve the existing short stay
hostels of a number of their cases and would enable them to take
an increased number of short stay cases.
Hostel accommodation could most suitably be obtained by
constructing a building specially designed for the purpose. Alternatively,
some war-time nurseries might be easily adapted, but they
are unlikely to become redundant until after the end of the war.
The most practical method at present would be to adapt an
existing house. Such a house would be expected to cost £3,000.
£500 would be necessary for adaption, and equipment would cost
a further £1,000, giving a total capital cost of £4,500 for a hostel
of 15 beds, with nursery accommodation. It would appear that
for this figure of £4,500, a prefabricated building such as are at
present being used for day nurseries might be suitably modified
to provide the individual accommodation required by a hostel of
the long-stay type. To obtain a site providing the necessary
privacy would, however, prove difficult.
The staff for such a hostel would be as follows:—
1. Sister in charge (resident) £130
2. Nursery Nurse 175
3. Cook 165
Total £470