A NEW £1.3m hostel has been opened by a leading homelessness charity.
The complex at Dundas Street in Sunderland is Centrepoint's first purpose-built service and is for young people aged 16 to 25.
It replaces the charity's previous hostel in Mowbray Road, which had become dilapidated and had limited facilities.
Sunderland City Council backed the building project and its leader, Paul Watson, officially opened the site.
Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup hero goalkeeper Jim Montgomery and X Factor winner Joe McElderry, from South Shields, were also in attendance.
The complex features a training kitchen, which was part-funded by The Sir Tom Cowie Charitable Trust.
It also has a multimedia suite, where some of the region’s most vulnerable young people can get help to access education and employment, and learn essential life skills.
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