have been approved.

The single storey night shelter will provide up to 20 beds for the Island's homeless.

It will be the third hostel in the Marsh Lane and North Street area of Pembroke.

The two others have been unable to meet demands, with many homeless folk being turned away.

The new development reflects combined efforts by the Bermuda Housing Corporation and the Salvation Army.

Yesterday Housing Corporation general manager Mr. Tom Wall said he was thrilled by the go-ahead.

"We are absolutely delighted. It will fulfill a dire need in the community,'' he said. "It will give homeless people the chance to get back on their feet.

It will allow them to develop the life skills needed to live independently.'' The Marsh Lane shelter has been approved conditionally by the Development Applications Board.

The board stipulated the design and construction should take into account the "Bermuda Image''.

Once final approval is given, the 64-foot by 24-foot shelter should be completed in three months.

As well as bedrooms, it will incorporate shower and toilet facilities.

Once built it will increase the number of Salvation Army emergency beds to around 115.

Mr. Wall said the corporation's role had been to locate a site, arrange construction, and organise funding. Construction will be carried out by Burland, Conyers & Marirea Ltd.

The cost -- between $125,000 and $150,000 -- will be met by Government. The shelter will be administered by the Salvation Army.

Mr. Wall said the shelter scheme followed a Government decision to set up a committee on homelessness.

"The two other shelters in the area are regularly full to capacity,'' he said. "They have been unable to meet the needs of the homeless, and people have been turned away.'' Mr. Wall said the new hostel will offer more privacy to residents than the other hostels.

"There will be two beds to a room, instead of a barrack-type set up. This should help with rehabilitation.'' Latest estimates put the number of Bermuda's homeless people at around 250.