Vermont to deliver Manchester homelessness project
The contractor will construct the 40-home Embassy Village, eschewing a profit.
Vermont Construction Group has been appointed by charity Embassy to deliver the modular scheme, which will be located on Peel Waters-owned land beneath railway arches between the Bridgewater Canal and the River Irwell.
“Homelessness is a massive challenge and a responsibility for us all to help in solving,” said Mark Connor, Vermont Construction Group chief executive.
“Vermont has committed to ensuring the scheme can be delivered and the accommodation available in 2025 for those people that need it most.”
The scheme will provide modular accommodation for 40 homeless men once completed in 2025.
The Moulding Foundation has donated £3.5m to support the creation of the first 24 homes. A further £1m is required for the remaining units.
As well as the homes, the development will feature a village hall and outdoor green spaces, including mini allotments to grow vegetables and a multi-use sports area.
The development has been in the pipeline for several years. In 2021 Manchester-based charity, Embassy joined forces with developers Peel Waters, Capital&Centric and a pro bono team across the city’s business community to bring forward the Embassy Village.
Sid Williams, co-founder of Embassy, said: “The village will help us reimagine the way homelessness is tackled in the city, providing a long-term and sustainable solution.
“We’re creating a supportive community where we help our residents into work and get used to managing a home. This means we’ll be able to help four times as many people as we currently do.”
On average, homeless people in Manchester and Salford wait 10 to 15 years for council housing.
The charity’s vision for Embassy Village is to help the city’s most vulnerable men get off the street by putting high-quality housing and wrap-around support at the heart of the solution.
Homeless housing support doesn’t belong in the city centre. This will be the start of Manchester’s Skid Row. An absolute no go area right off the end of Deansgate, next to the new build luxury towers. Make it make sense please. I’m all for supporting the homeless, but not at the expense of city centre safety and peace of mind.
By Anonymous
No issue with this as long as the correct support/supervision is available on site.
By Anonymous
While this sounds like an innovative solution to a major issue, spending £4.5m to deliver 40 units equates to £112,500 per unit – surely 40 terraced houses could be secured for less than this?
By Anonymous
This is not just a development project for this to be successful it needs intensive management and resident support with an element of tough love.
By Anonymous
Absolutely brilliant idea. At last something positive being done to help alleviate the homeless crisis ( despite the protests of the wealthy Nimbys complaining of its location next to the over privileged living in the neighbouring glass eyesores ). Let’s hope this is a great success and just the start of a much bigger scheme. Manchester once again showing everyone else how to make positive changes.
By Vince Brady
This is an amazing initiative. So glad to read about something like this. Is there anyway for others to get involved?
By Chantal