Nearly a hundred people were being supported by the Salvation Army at a former office block in south Bristol at one point last year, council documents show.
Minutes from weekly meetings of Bristol City Council with the developer of the controversial Imperial Apartments show that, in March 2021, the charity had had 83 people moving in, with 16 more in the pipeline.
However, the minutes from the meeting also state that it was expected the charity would work with up to 45 people at the 465-units development once funding reduced.
READ MORE: Ambulance driver wasn't able to enter Imperial Apartments as security guard had left early
A Salvation Army spokesperson said: "We are not a landlord at the Imperial Apartments, we aren’t involved in decisions on who is housed there.
"We provide floating support to single people in Bristol including Imperial Apartments as part of a contract with the local council.
"This support includes assisting people to move in to a property there, we provide help with learning to manage a tenancy such as how to manage bill payments, we refer people to engage with community support agencies, can recommend community activities and help people find work."
The minutes from the March 2021 meeting said: "Eighty-three moved in, 16 in pipeline and hoping to move in next week.
"Current service finishes end of march but funding agreed for another 12 months but smaller (less than 50% of current service). Expecting to work with around 40/45 people at Apartments.
"Waiting on discussions between Caridon and BCC about office space on site."
Clients supported by the organisation are described as "low needs" in a meeting in January 2021.
The documents say the clients are making progress on recovery and do not have a history of arson or MAPPA.
MAPPA stands for Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements, explains Nacro, and it is the process through which various agencies such as the police, the Prison Service and Probation work together to protect the public by managing the risks posed by violent and sexual offenders living in the community.
The minutes say: "Clients have been targeted who can live there with low risk, low needs but this does include people with historic support needs around MH substance misuse which can remerge and history of homelessness."
In a meeting in April 2021, the Salvation Army provided an update saying things are going well, with support workers supporting 43 people.
It said: "Have some issues with non engagement. May close some of these at the end of the month."
In July 2021, the minutes show that Salvation Army had given out 11 air beds and that it is not clear how long people are waiting for their furniture.
In that same meeting in July 2021, it was also recorded that numbers of people on arrears were going up.
Do you live at Imperial Apartments? What do you think about living there? Our reporter Estel would love to hear from you. You can contact her directly on estel.farellroig@reachplc.com
It said: "People are going back to work and not paying for their rent. People are burying their heads in the sand.
"Top one is the flat where abandonment has occurred.
"The Salvation Army are trying to contact and they are hoping to make realize the gravity of the situation.
"Asked if there was enough information to gain a mutual surrender.
"BCC asking for more information on the reports and would like to know whether they have been referred for support. explained that doing this adds to the workload."
In recent months, BristolLive has reported how several residents raised concerns about the former Parkview office complex in Hengrove - now known as Imperial Apartments.
A young mum claimed 'they are the worst' and a first-time dad said he feels so unsafe living there that he sleeps with a hammer and a screwdriver next to his bed, with other residents comparing the development to storage facilities and even a prison.
Another young mum claimed this week that her daughter ended up in hospital because of mould at her flat.
Last week, the Bristol South MP asked the council to stop housing families with children at Imperial Apartments, adding that all the families it has already housed at the complex should be moved out as soon as possible.
Bristol City Council, which rents nearly 70 per cent of the properties at the site, has previously admitted that the use of a former council office block in south Bristol for housing is "not an ideal option" and city mayor Marvin Rees described it as 'the least worst option'.
However, the council has defended its decision, saying the site has provided housing for more than 200 people.
Caridon - the developer behind the controversial conversion - has previously said Bristol City Council is happy with them.
Police revealed in November that they had been called more than 200 times in just over a year to the site, with crimes recorded linked to Imperial Apartments including one rape, two incidents of possessions of weapons and one offence of trafficking drugs.
In summer 2020, the council revealed it was planning on housing people in the complex which was being redeveloped by Caridon, a company which was the subject of a Newsnight investigation as residents in one of their developments in London complained about overcrowding, the mix of people, violence and substance misuse.
At the time, housing chiefs at Bristol City Council admitted they had concerns about teaming up with a developer accused of creating “human warehousing” - but said they were "determined to make this development a success and thriving community in which to live".
Caridon turned it into homes without the need for planning consent under permitted development rights, which meant the usual regulations stipulating minimum sizes did not apply.
According to the floor plans submitted to Bristol City Council, studios at the development start at 18m2 - which is smaller than the average 29m2 shipping container - while the two bedroom flats at the site start at 38m2 and go up to 76m2.
The law was changed last year and it now requires new homes built under permitted development rights to be over 37m2, with two-bedrooms units being a minimum of 61m2.
Bristol City Council and Caridon were contacted for more information.
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