EX-OFFENDERS and the homeless will help bring 30 empty city homes back into use after a £250,000 grant to a community group.
Windrush Alliance, which gives opportunities to people who find it difficult to get a job, has been awarded the money by Government group the Homes and Communities Agency.
It will be used by the housing association arm of Windrush to transform houses in Radford, Sneinton Dale, Hyson Green and St Ann's.
Windrush Alliance director Trevor Fothergill said: "The grant is an achievement for us and for Nottingham as well.
"Some of these places are badly dilapidated. In some we found syringes, evidence of possible cannabis grows, down to just piles of cans and bottles."
The grant will be spent on tools and materials to bring the 30 houses up to scratch. Established tradesmen will carry out some of the work but the alliance is also arranging for homeless people and ex-offenders to take part and learn new skills.
Mr Fothergill added: "Empty homes can attract antisocial behaviour and squatters and devalue neighbourhoods. We hope this will work wonders and get places back in to use."
The alliance found the homes through Nottingham City Council. It contacted the owners and offered to renovate the properties free, in exchange for lease agreements of five to ten years, givingWindrush a slice of the rent.
Derrick Williams, an operations director for the Windrush Alliance, said: "We're very excited about it. It's a challenge."
The homes will be offered to families including some referred to Windrush by homelessness organisations Shelter and Framework.
Carl Renshaw, 31, of Gregory Boulevard, was released from prison in July. He will be helping to paint and decorate homes.
He said: "To be honest, if I wasn't involved I'd be out committing crime every day to get money and stop myself getting bored. While I'm doing this I can train to do different things and hopefully get a full-time job out of it or set my own business up."
The project has already been given the keys to an empty house in Radford, which was inspected on Thursday. Work starts next month.
Neighbours said it had been left empty for at least four years. One, Austin Reynolds, 40, said: "People in the street have all complained about the house because rats have been seen crawling on the top of stuff left in the back garden."
Windrush says it will take about two years to transform all 30 homes.
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