91Èȱ¬

Politicians and trade union activists have called for money to be found to stop a homeless hostel for vulnerable women being closed.

Regina Coeli House, which opened in 1935, is the only female-only homeless accommodation facility in Northern Ireland.

It is due to close at the end of February.

The Department for Communities has said its priority is finding new accommodation for residents.

It said it was treating the issue "with urgency".

But protestors gathered at the site on Wednesday evening and called for funding to keep the west Belfast hostel open.

The management company which runs it has said that it is closing because it requires significant repairs and maintenance.

The 91Èȱ¬ understands there are currently three women housed at the facility.

Sinn Féin MP for Belfast West, Paul Maskey, was at the protest outside Regina Coeli.

He said: "We need to see hostels like this secured and we need to ensure that the owners of this particular hostel - Regina Coeli Management Company - work with ourselves as elected representatives and work with the staff.

"I hope that we can come up with some resolution within a matter of days."

He said he wanted to explore the option of finding more government funding to keep the hostel open.

SDLP councillor Paul McCusker, who was also at the protest, said: "Services shouldn't be closing, we should be looking at how we develop hostels.

"It has been a lifeline for thousands of women over many, many years."

Trade union Unite said staff at the home had already received advance notice of redundancy from 27 February but they feared it could close sooner.

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll called for the minister for communities to intervene.

He said the hostel was a "vital service for homeless and vulnerable women in this city and it would have a debilitating impact if it were to close".

He added that it was "imperative that the workers' jobs are maintained."

"There is a clear need to save this hostel, with domestic violence levels as they are, and the minister has a duty to provide a long term, sustainable funding mechanism, alongside the Housing Executive," he added.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is simply unacceptable that the one female-only facility, in Northern Ireland, offering support to those with homelessness, addiction, abuse or mental health issues faces closure.

"Unite is demanding the communities minister intervenes and save Regina Coeli House."

The Department for Communities provides funding to Regina Coeli House through the Supporting People Programme, which is administered by the Housing Executive.

A spokesperson for the department said: "Following the decision of Regina Coeli to close the facility, citing the premises required significant repairs and maintenance, the Housing Executive's priority is to ensure new accommodation is secured for the residents of Regina Coeli House which is based on their circumstances and support needs.Ìý

"The department has asked the Housing Executive to continue to treat this issue with urgency.

"At the time of responding, the department has not received a request from the Unite regional secretary about the closure of Regina Coeli House, but will continue to engage with all relevant stakeholders on this matter."