Manchester’s ‘quiet miracle’ homelessness scheme completes

Embassy Village will provide 40 homes for rough sleepers beneath 22 railway arches in Castlefield after more than 130 organisations contributed to the creation of the project.

The brainchild of homelessness charity Embassy, the scheme will give homes to some of Manchester’s most vulnerable residents. Recent data published by Shelter found that there are just shy of 10,000 homeless people in Manchester, up on the previous year.

Embassy Village was built on land owned by Peel Waters and built by Vermont Construction and paid for with funding from donations including £3.5m from the Moulding Foundation.

Further substantial donations came from the GMCA, the Garfield Weston Foundation, and Benefact Trust.

In all, more than 130 businesses including architects, engineers, and consultants, contributed funding, materials, or labour to the project, which was celebrated with an opening ceremony last night [Monday].

A full list of the companies involved in the creation of Embassy Village can be found at the foot of this article.

As well as a roof over their heads, residents living in the homes will benefit from a village hall, a multi‑use sports area, and mini allotments.

Embassy is actively fundraising to cover ongoing operational and staffing costs required to keep the complex functioning for its residents.

Sid Williams, director of Embassy Charity, said: “To reach the completion of the village build is incredible. For six years we’ve been carrying this vision and to finally stand in it is amazing.

“I’d have been nobody’s first choice to build it. I’ve not even built an extension before! God has a sense of humour and is just looking for a heart that’s up for it. I have been so humbled by over 130 organisations, mostly local businesses who’ve given funds, people, time and materials to get this done. It’s nothing short of a quiet miracle under the arches.”

James Whittaker, managing director, Peel Waters, described the completion of the project as “one of the proudest moments of my career”.

“Walking through the finished homes and seeing this once‑forgotten space transformed into a place of safety, dignity and hope is incredibly moving,” he said.

“What makes it even more special is knowing that this wasn’t achieved by one organisation alone, but by an entire city coming together with compassion, generosity and belief in what’s possible.”

Tim Heatley, co-founder at Capital&Centric, and chair of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, also added: “This project began with a repurposed bus and a belief in people. Today’s launch isn’t the finish line, it’s the beginning of the real work ahead.

“We’re proud to have been on this journey with so many organisations and individuals that have helped us make it happen. This is Greater Manchester coming together, unlocking hidden potential in places and people to end homelessness.”

The organisations that have supported Embassy Village with funding, services and material donations, include:

29th May 1961 Trust, 7Consulting, Abbacus Consult, AC1, Active Flooring, Adept, Advantage Pumping Solutions, AEW, Albert Hunt Trust, Alexander Dawn, Aluprof, Apollo Sealants, Arcadis, Arcaero, Azura Soft Furnishings UK, Base Aura, Benefact Trust, Bernard Sunley Foundation, Bishop Radford Trust, Blaze Marketing, Bloom Academy, Broken Colour, Capital&Centric, Cara Brickwork, Cardinal Marritime, CDM Services, CEF, CH Civils, Cheshire Scaffolding, Christopher Williams Trust, Concrete Design Detailing, Connectus, Crown, Cundalls, Curtins, Cushman & Wakefield, CWC, Daikin, Deloitte, DGA, Dowager of Countess Eleanor Peel Trust, Dutchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, Edmond Shipway, Element Sunstainability, Engineering integration, Enviroply, Equans, Euan Kellie, Everite, Fenstration, EWS Group, Far Logistics, Fastrack, Fisher acoustics, Flair Foundation, Font Comms, Garfield Weston, Gateley, GMCA, Goodnews Evangelical mission, Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity, Greater Manchester Police, Hardscape, Hill Dickinson, Hobson Charity, Hollywood Monster, Ian Farmer Associates, Indigo Litho Print, Jewsons JSP, JM Passive Fire, John Matthews Architects, Jook Contracts, K10 Systems, KPS Kitchens, Laltex, Lauderdale Trust, LM Group, LOFT, Manchester City Council, Manchester Guardian Society, MCT Joinery, Mente, Metroline, MW Windows, National Lottery – Awards For All, NR, OFR, OHS, One Agency, Our Studio, Panda, Paul Butler Associates, Peel Group Foundation, Peel Waters, Planit, Powerline, Poynton Baptist Church, Prestige Beds, Prestige Steel Fabrications, Radar Electrical, Ramp Church, Rehau, Rhodar, Roma Finance, Safe Hire, Shaw Contract Management, Shoosmiths, Sigma Capital, Squire Patton Boggs, Stuart Energy, Sunbelt Rentals, Survey Solutions, Sweco, Task, Tekflo, Temperature Control, TFGM, The Environment Partnership, The Lancaster Foundation, The message Trust, The Moulding Foundation, The Seedfield Trust, Therme Manchester, Tileflair, Together Money, UK Gov, Unilin, Vermont, Wardell Armstrong, West Coast Geomatics, Workspace, Wrights Landscapes, Yesss Electrical.