Councils agree to help fund £5m homeless village

Work to build homes for up to 40 homeless people under city centre railway arches has been given a "crucial" cash boost.

The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has contributed £1.4m for the Embassy Homeless Village on the Bridgewater Canal, underneath the railway at Castlefield.

Homelessness support charity Embassy will be responsible for the operation of the £5m site, which will include a village hall, outdoor green spaces and mini allotments.

It had previously appealed for donations to help complete the project, after work began earlier this year.

The total cost of building and operating the housing is about £5m, with GMCA funding coming alongside £3.6m from charitable foundations.

Alongside that, about £2m has been provided in professional fees for free by businesses in Manchester.

The GMCA is the umbrella organisation for the ten councils in the city-region and paid for its contribution to the project through a brownfield land fund.

An Embassy spokesman said he aims "to help break the cycle of homelessness" by providing people a home, alongside skills training and support to give them the life skills to be independent.

Sid Williams, the Co-Founder and Director of Embassy, said the project was "about creating a community, a sense of belonging and finally not being lonely".

The charity is aiming to have 90% of residents leave the village in work and living in the private rental sector.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: "This funding will be crucial in getting the project over the line and giving people the best support straight away."

The first of the 40 new homes is set to be completed in November before a phased handover takes place and residents begin moving in January next year.

The site will have a village hall, complete with space to socialise and eat together, a laundry room, computers, plus a training kitchen to help residents learn to cook.