Homeless people have now got a roof over their heads after an abandoned house was spruced up and taken on by a charity.
The empty home in Measham was one of several privately owned properties that had been highlighted because it had not been lived in for a long time, said North West Leicestershire District Council.
The district council's empty homes officer works to identify properties that have been unoccupied for a long time in the area before trying to contact and help owners by advising them on how they can get the properties back into use.
Loughborough-based Falcon Support Services took up a tenancy in this previously run down empty property, which it will use to give vulnerable homeless people a place to stay.
Rachel Hall, from Falcon Support Services, said: "Working with the district council has been a great experience and it has been a privilege to work alongside the empty homes team, to not only bring a long term empty home back into use, but to use it for the benefit of the local community in housing those that are homeless.
"The positive results that can be brought about by meeting a housing need and providing support to vulnerable people are extensive and we hope to continue expanding our services so we can reach more people and make a long lasting difference to them and their community."
Falcon Support Services provides 70 supported accommodation bed spaces for homeless people across Leicestershire.
North West Leicestershire councillor Alison Smith said: "There is real need for housing across the country, including North West Leicestershire.
"There are a number of exciting house building projects going on around the district, but it is incredibly important that we also make use of the properties that are derelict or empty. We have a number of families looking to rent in the district and bringing long term empty homes into use offers solutions.
The YMCA sleep-out
"It is particularly fantastic in this instance a charity will use this property for the benefit of the homeless."
In December 2016, homeless charity Shelter estimated that there are 307,000 homeless people in the UK, an increase of 13,000 over the past year.
