Homeless hostel Tayfen House in Bury St Edmunds renamed in memory of Havebury Housing Partnership colleague Lucy Adams
A hostel for the homeless in Bury St Edmunds has been renamed in memory of a former colleague who died two years ago.
Tayfen House, in Tayfen Road, will now be known as Lucy Adams House as a tribute to the customer experience officer for Havebury Housing Partnership.
The mother-of-two died, aged 52, from a sudden illness in September 2022.
Lucy became a full-time member of staff at Havebury in 2021 and was a member of the housing association’s board and tenants forum.
Her children Mollie Adams, 30, and Billy Old, 21, formerly lived with her at a Havebury home in Bury.
Mollie said: “I feel very very overwhelmed with all of this and in a way this is a really lovely occasion.
“When they told me they were going to rename Tayfen House after her I was in the attic and just sat there crying because I wasn't expecting it at all.
“She poured her life into helping others and she was simply incredible.”
Tayfen House has offered a safe place for people experiencing homelessness since 1998 and provides emergency and long-term accommodation for those aged 18 to 65.
Andrew Smith, CEO of Havebury Housing, said: “This is a really special occasion and a very fitting tribute to remember our friend who was so very dear to us all.
“She threw herself into her work and just made such a difference to all of us.
“For me personally she was on the interview panel when I got my job as CEO and she and I once had a lovely conversation in the car park of the Range - she was so sweet.
“This is one way of celebrating the great work we do here that can help to transform people’s lives.”
Diane Hind, mayor of Bury St Edmunds, added that she was delighted to have been asked to officially open Tayfen House under its new name and was grateful for being given the opportunity to honour the occasion.
The team at Tayfen House held a community day at the hostel last week, where team members and residents redecorated the building, planted flowers and ensured the hostel felt homely to residents.
