Hostel's sense of community is alive and well

I have been in Hillside since October 2003. I am in a single room with my six-week-old son and share my facilities ie kitchen and bathroom with two other families who are not related to me in any way and are complete strangers.

The family in your article are lucky enough to live in a self-contained three-bedroom bungalow, have their own facilities and do not have to share them with anyone else.

They also have the opportunity to use their own washing machine, which the other families in the hostel do not have. All other occupants in the hostel have to use a communal laundry room which provides washing machines free of charge and tumble dryers at £1 per use.

As this is a hostel there are many families in here with babies and young children but the noise levels are generally low.

I beg to differ with the statement that they are a "very close family" as most of the bedrooms looking into the courtyard will testify to the fact that the family are always screaming and swearing at each other at all times of the day and night.

As for the community spirit within the hostel, their statement is completely false as everyone tries hard to get on with each other and there is no animosity between occupants. Also the claim that the hostel is full of drug users and undesirables is completely false as many of the residents are young parents with babies or young families with small children.

In relation to the fact that they have not been housed it is because they have requested a specific location, as is stated in the article. If they were to widen their choices of location then maybe they would have been housed quicker, as there is always the opportunity to do a house exchange.

I have no complaints towards the hostel as it is a clean and liveable place for my son and me and it provides me with everything I need for day-to-day life.

I enclose signatures of other residents who agree with my point of view.

L BRYANT,

Boreham Road,

Warminster.