YMCA Birmingham’s Magdalene Court hostel in Northfield has ensured young people have had a safe space to live for nearly six decades. It provides secure and comfortable accommodation as well as one-to-one support, which aims to empower and encourage both men and women who have found themselves homeless. Offering sixty-four rooms of accommodation to support a variety of needs, Magdalene Court currently helps around 120 people each year.

The grant awarded to YMCA Birmingham will help to fund the creation of 27 additional units of independent accommodation at the charity’s Northfield site. They will be specifically for those embarking on their next step of their journey after living at the hostel. The flats will be built close to the existing building, ensuring that those occupying the space will still have access to the key YMCA services, which have helped them so far.

Heart of England Community Foundation has chosen YMCA Birmingham as one of the three charities to support in its Building Better Lives Programme. Building Better Lives is a major capital build programme, with grants being awarded to causes focused on housing vulnerable people.

Alan Fraser, Chief Executive of YMCA Birmingham, comments: “We are so thankful to the team at Heart of England Community Foundation for its generous donation. The grant will enable us to expand our accommodation so that we can continue to provide a safe and secure accommodation even after people no longer require our hostel services.

“It also means that the new accommodation can be let to tenants at rents that will be very affordable even to those on low incomes. So, it’s helping us to beat the benefits trap – which will make a life-changing difference to the people who we help. Not only that, but by freeing up rooms in Magdalene Court, we will be able to help even more very vulnerable people who are currently homeless.”