We are now in the exciting position to begin planning how our services and premises are going to reopen in the coming weeks and months. We are really looking forward to be able to return to some form of normal, to be able to offer face to face support and advice for housing, health, drug and alcohol dependencies, universal credit and opening bank accounts. Sadly many people are in need of this support to help them get off the streets and build new lives. Read more
This pandemic has had hidden costs and we’re already seeing a rise in people presenting as homeless to the council; the impact from the loss of jobs, wages, bereavement, poor mental health, poor living conditions and a rise in domestic abuse are all factors and we know that as we plan to come out of this crisis we will need to strategically adapt our services. Read more
Last week we reached a milestone. Since the start of lockdown we have prepared, cooked and delivered over fifteen thousand meals to vulnerable people and people experiencing homelessness in Manchester. We spoke to some of our staff and volunteers to hear what their thoughts are on reaching this milestone. Read more
Sadly there is still a small group of people rough sleeping in Manchester, spending their days and nights on the streets. We are now doing street outreach again to feed these people and support them into accommodation Read more
Stephen Rowley is our Head of Support; before the crisis he was supporting rough sleepers and people experiencing homelessness with one to one support at our Support Office and Drop in. During this lockdown he is now providing support on the phone to rough sleepers in hotels and tenants self isolating in our Resettlement project. He is also feeding back to the team any deliveries or practical support that may be needed. Read more
During lockdown, our amazing volunteers have continued to come in to help people experiencing homelessness in any way they can. We sat down with Simon who is one of our evening volunteers. Read more
Since Lockdown and the change to our regular operations to cook and provide meals for people experiencing homelessness in temporary accommodation across Manchester we have had new support from some amazingly talented chefs who would normally be out at work. They have been helping us cook delicious and nutritious food every day. We sat down with Keaton who is a Commis chef at … in Yorkshire to talk about his experience volunteering with us. Read more
As we end the 4th week of lockdown we think the words of Jazz, one of our Drop in Session Leaders, sums up how we feel best: “ I’m just so proud of what we have done! A month ago we were in the Beacon with no idea what was next. Now we are making 300 meals a day out of our local church. Read more
How we're adapting our operations to help people experiencing homelessness through the Coronavirus Crisis and lockdown. Read more
What a week it’s been, not just for Barnabus, but for the whole of our nation. Last week was all about shock and panic, this week was all about mobilisation when we realised we were moving to lockdown due to the corona virus. Read more