Wigan charity secures £2.3m to buy nine houses across the borough for people who are homeless

The Brick has secured a social investment loan of £1.93m from Social and Sustainable Capital (SASC), alongside £400,000 from Access Foundation’s Cost of Living Social Investment Support Fund.

The money will pay for nine properties in Wigan and Leigh, each with two to six bedrooms, providing 40 units for supported accommodation for people transitioning out of homelessness.

It will enhance The Brick’s existing emergency and supported provision across 11 properties and 96 beds.

In 2022-2023, the charity directly supported 14,483 people across all services. It provided 8,161 emergency beds for 315 people in housing crisis, 25 people with longer term, secure support accommodation and 19 young people with specialist accommodation. The helpdesk received 2,963 requests for homelessness support.

CEO Keely Dalfen said: “The demand on our services in the last 12 months has been unprecedented. Every day we see the amazing resilience of the people we support who are experiencing poverty and homelessness, but the triple threat of a cost-of-living crisis, social care budget cuts and economic recession continues to make their lives increasingly hard.

“Taking on social investment to purchase properties will enable us to become more self-sufficient and have more control over the properties we have available for vulnerable people. Our accommodation is much more than a roof over a person’s head. Alongside having somewhere safe and secure to stay, our staff and volunteers work with residents to understand their hopes and ambitions, helping them to take the steps they need to achieve them. Our housing services are the first step in developing a strong support system for those experiencing homelessness in Wigan and Leigh.”

Mark Bickford, CEO of SASC said: “Wigan and Leigh are areas with some of the highest levels of deprivation in the country, with a growing need for housing for people who are at risk or transitioning through homelessness.

“The Brick successfully moved into providing emergency and supported accommodation five years ago and has built up a strong record with excellent relationships with local commissioners.

“The SASC loan will enable them to become more financially sustainable and help many more homeless people by giving them a home and the person-centred support they need to give them the confidence to move on with their lives.”