Fife Council has stepped in in a bid to save homeless services from closure.
The local authority has revealed it is in talks with the Scottish Christian Alliance (SCA) to take over the running of services for vulnerable women at Gilven House in Glenrothes.
The Glasgow-based charity announced last month it was “broken-hearted” to have to consider closing the house amid claims of serious under-funding and called for other organisations to consider taking it on.
On Monday, Councillor Judy Hamilton, convener of the community and housing srevices committee, said: “Discussions with the Scottish Christian Alliance are at an advanced stage for the council to take over the management of the vital homelessness services delivered by the staff at Gilven House in Glenrothes.
“I hope this will bring to an end the speculation and uncertainty surrounding Gilven House over recent weeks since the Scottish Christian Alliance announced it would no longer be able to run these services.”
Ms Hamilton added: “We are now seeking to bring these vital services for young vulnerable women in-house to protect both residents and staff and avoid further anxiety about the future of Gilven.”
A full report on the latest position will be brought forward shortly by head of housing John Mills.
The council’s announcement has been welcomed by Glenrothes MP Peter Grant, who had previously expressed alarm at the prospect of the service closing.
“It’s nearly two months since residents and staff were told the Scottish Christian Alliance were considering withdrawing the service,” he said.
“Since then I’ve had a number of very worried residents contacting me asking where they were supposed to live if SCA went ahead and closed the service.
“I have been calling on SCA to do everything possible to assist another provider to step in and keep Gilven’s vital services open.”
Mr Grant added that the local authority’s statement was possibly the first encouraging news the residents and staff had had.
“I hope the council and SCA can reach agreement quickly so that the threat of closure can be lifted and the staff at Gilven can continue with the outstanding service they provide,” he said.