By Oliver Jervis
A Manchester-based charity for the homeless is aiming to raise £35000 to fund necessary refurbishments for its support centre.
Barnabus – which has aided the homeless of the city’s streets for over thirty years – has called for the local community and beyond to donate towards renovations for its ‘sanctuary’, which requires improvements to its washroom, flooring, and storage facilities.
‘The Beacon’ is located on Bloom Street and has been operating for 23 years, with 65% of its visitors sleeping rough in Manchester.
Run solely by volunteers, Barnabus was formed in 1991 by philanthropic couple Beryl and Peter Green who began their initiative through the provision of pre-made sandwiches and coffee for those without a home.
During the last three decades, the charity has grown to be a vital source of support for the homeless of Manchester – with 9,000 people visiting The Beacon over 100,000 times since their records began in 2013.
In turn, the proposed renovations to the organisation’s support centre are viewed as essential – especially with the colder months of winter fast approaching and rates of homelessness nearly doubling in Manchester during the past five years.
Included among the planned improvements is the complete refurbishment of the building’s first floor shower room, with the current infrastructure heavily damaged by faulty showers and lacking changing rooms for visitors.
Alongside this, the charity aims to install air conditioning with the purpose of tackling the now common sweltering heat of the British summertime. According to Barnabus’s records, temperatures in The Beacon often reach an unbearable 29 degrees celsius.
In the centre’s basement, which is presently used only for food storage, the charity intends to create an open space for visitors, which will allow them to add a prayer area and a place for volunteers.
Barnabus’ Fundraising Manager Carol Price, who has volunteered at The Beacon for fourteen years, said: “Anyone can come into the support centre and it’s a place that can help people by giving them the chance to have a shower, as well as something to eat.
“When you’ve spent all night on the street, you can feel helpless and hopeless. You think, ‘Is this my life now? Can I ever escape this?’
“We have engagement workers at the centre, so people who visit can find out how we can support them. It’s the very first step towards getting up and getting away from the streets and beginning their journey to a home.
“It’s not just about the showers, or about getting clean clothing and some food. It’s about being put into the right mind frame of being able to accept yourself. It helps people to refresh.”
The importance of raising these funds was also made evident as winter approaches, with Ms Price adding: “We’ll try by any means to raise this money. It’s really important for us to get the support centre to a good standard.
“We want to be able to create a more dignified experience for those who come in. We’re desperate to get this organised so we can crack on with the refurbishment.
“It’s our aim to get this done by the winter. We always have more visitors at that time of year. They often come in wet through and cold. To be able to offer someone a hot shower and that support would be amazing and potentially transformative for somebody.”
Around £8,000 has already been donated towards this initiative, with Ms Price saying that such contributions signify the strong community spirit present within Manchester and the surrounding area.
She said: “Something that is very heart-warming for us as a charity is the response we receive from the local community to our appeals. We’re coming towards the time of year when there are more people in need, and the goodwill that is there is great to see.
“Come and connect with us in any way. If you can donate to our Crowdfunder, fantastic. If you work for a company, tell them about it. If your own a local business, you might be able to give a donation to us which is tax free. You can volunteer, donate clothing, and really bring a smile to the men and women who come in.
“There are lots of different ways you can support us. We always feel very thankful for the community spirit present in Manchester.”
Donations can be made to the Crowdfunder via this link: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/barnabus-beacon-refurbishment
