Mount St Joseph’s Leeds: Headingley care home set to be demolished after dangerous RAAC concrete found in roof

The 62 elderly residents at Mount St Joseph’s, Headingley, are facing an uncertain future after the upper floors of the home were evacuated and deemed unsafe to live in.

With strengthening girders now put in place, a leading RAAC specialist, architects and insurers have assessed that the lower floors are safe to use on a temporary basis.

But the building, which was constructed in 1971, is set to close within months and will be demolished. The 40 people receiving residential care and 22 residents in independent living apartments will have to be rehomed.

Mount St Joseph’s is one of eight care homes across the UK owned by a Catholic order of nuns, the Little Sisters of the Poor. The sisters’ mission in the Diocese of Leeds to support low-income elderly men and women of any faith or none has continued for 158 years.

The sisters are now fundraising to help with the costs of the temporary repairs and rehoming the residents – which has so fat coast £200,000.

A spokeswoman for the Little Sisters of the Poor at Mount St Joseph’s said: "We thank the Lord for having protected us from what could have been a terrible catastrophe.

"Our focus so far has been on keeping residents and staff safe and families fully informed. We are working with each family and with Leeds City Council to get the best solutions.

“Some residents with no family, including one person aged 105 and another in her late nineties, have now been found places at two of our other care homes.

"Hire and installation of the girders and other works to allow continued safe use of less than half the building until all the residents are re-homed have so far cost £200,000.

"We are urgently fund raising to assist with these costs, as well as those incurred in holding existing care rooms for Leeds residents and opening up any unused spaces we can to create additional care beds in our other homes across the UK.

"Anyone who kindly wishes to help us may donate via our website.”