THE town's first 24-hour emergency accommodation unit will open its doors in the first week of January, it has been announced.

Homeless charity Step Out Drop In (SODI) has injected £500,000 into creating the nine-bedroom unit called Bredon House in Lakeside.

Support workers will be based at the unit day and night to help young people who suddenly find themselves homeless.

SODI manager David Cartwright said: "The idea is people will come in for emergency accommodation and once they are in the unit they will be given assistance in moving on to wherever the best place is for them.

"That might be a council-owned property, a private landlord premises or a housing association."

Mr Cartwright said support workers specifically for the unit had been taken on and had now completed all the necessary training.

He added: "The unit will be the only one of its kind in Redditch and Bromsgrove. We could fill it today if we wanted to.

"Our difficulty will be ensuring people continue to move through it so we don't get a back log in need of emergency housing."