Team effort provides beds for young people in Wigan at risk of becoming homeless

The four-bed unit has been opened by The Brick to provide support for people aged 18 to 25 in Wigan and Leigh.

It was refurbished, made coronavirus-secure and opened in just two days thanks to the hard work of the charity’s staff and volunteers.

Craig Wadsworth, young person’s accommodation lead at The Brick, said: “The young people we work with are often vulnerable and can face a number of complex risks.

“ The donations made from our community have been used to refurbish and furnish our new accommodation, to make it Covid-19 secure and to provide access to mentoring, online training, training support and upskilling.”

The Brick launched a winter fund-raising campaign named A Soul Like Yours in November, which received more than £21,000 in eight weeks to help those facing poverty and homelessness.

The charity also successfully bid for a winter transition grant from Homeless Link and former a partnership with Wigan Council’s adult health and social care department to open the new accommodation.

Keely Dalfen, finance and commercial director at The Brick, said: “We want to thank everyone involved in this project. Our staff who have worked tirelessly getting the accommodation ready in record time, to our partners at Wigan Council, our grant funders and to our new young residents who are thriving in their new home.

“During the last eight months, we have safely accommodated rough sleepers presenting with a various range of complex needs, most prevalent have been homeless young people, both male and female, who have an accommodation need and often come to us with the addition of significant mental health support.

“Our four new bed spaces will not only provide accommodation, but will also support the young people’s mental health needs and emotional well-being which is essential to enable them to move on and to recovery.

“We want to especially thank our donors and supporters, who believe in us and the work we do, to donate their hard-earned cash to make these things happen.”

To donate to the appeal visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/asoullikeyours

If you are in need of support call 01942 236953.

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