As the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Birmingham continues to rise, YMCA Birmingham have announced the refurbishment of its Northfield site.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said last week that the number of people sleeping rough reached an estimated 4,751 in the autumn of 2017, the highest level since current records began and the number has continued to rise in Birmingham.
Alan Fraser, Chief Executive, YMCA Birmingham said:
“In 2011 just seven people were sleeping rough in Birmingham; in 2017 there were fifty-seven. This is an astronomical increase and shows that the situation is not under control. Nor are various government initiatives having any impact on the problem – the figures show a further 4% increase last year on top of the huge increases we saw in previous years. We need to see effective action from local and national government to address the issue.”
Having received grant funding from Homes England (formerly Homes and Communities Agency), the government body that invests in social housing, phase one of the refurbishment has seen the remodelling of the existing ground floor accommodation to create 17 en-suite bedrooms, providing improved privacy and comfort as well as enhanced personal security, particularly for women and more vulnerable residents as well as the elimination of shared bathroom and toilet facilities.
Peter Stephenson, Assistant Chief Executive, YMCA Birmingham added:
“The refurbishment we’re doing at our Northfield hostel isn’t going to solve Birmingham’s homeless crisis. But what it will do is give people a very safe, comfortable place, where they can start to rebuild their lives after being made homeless. What we need is a lot more facilities like this, places which give people dignity and a sense of worth and make people feel safe. When those basics are in place, people can start to rebuild their lives and leave homelessness – not just for this week or this month but forever.”
The YMCA Birmingham supported housing project which is on Bunbury Road, Northfield, serves some of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people in the city. Most of the people housed would otherwise have no alternative but to sleep rough.
Once the next phase of the refurbishment is completed in 2018, YMCA Birmingham’s Northfield project will have 64 en-suite bedrooms. There will also be the creation of a training kitchen to teach essential food preparation skills, and a training suite where residents can learn the necessary life skills and 02
employment skills to help them rebuild their lives and move on positively. There will also be a health suite to serve the needs of both YMCA residents and the wider community.
Peter added:
“These improvements combine together to create a substantial improvement in living conditions for residents, and an much-increased sense of dignity and worth that will contribute to improving the likelihood of achieving lasting positive change. Our Northfield accommodation will be completely transformed into a positive, optimistic and inspiring home where people who have experienced huge challenges in life can begin to rebuild a hopeful future.”
