According to statistics, Manchester is one of the worst areas in the United Kingdom to be homeless.
More rough sleepers died in the Greater Manchester area in 2017 than in any other local authority area in England and Wales: 21 people losing their lives in total.
Manchester has one of England’s highest rates of homelessness, and it is sadly increasing year on year. From 2016 to 2018, the amount of homeless people in the city went up by a staggering 40%.
When most people think of the homeless, they think of single people—but there are roughly 61,480 homeless families in England alone, mostly living in temporary accommodation. They are the hidden homeless, and many are in areas like Manchester.
Insurance broker Swinton, which has its head office in Manchester, has seen this problem first hand and decided that the company wanted to do something about it.
“Homelessness and poor housing is a real issue facing Manchester,” said Scott Kennedy, managing director at Swinton.
Due to this, Swinton decided to partner with charity Shelter, an organisation which helps millions of people every year across England who are struggling with finding housing.
Shelter provides several services, including through a national helpline, face-to-face services and legal advice. It has helped countless people in Manchester, which is why it was a great choice for Swinton.
“When it came to partnering with a charity, Shelter was the obvious choice to help us give something back to the city we were founded in more than 60 years ago,” Kennedy explained. “Hearing about the incredible work Shelter does at our launch event left everyone feeling inspired to get involved and make a difference. We can’t wait to get started.”
Swinton has committed to raising £50,000 in a year to give to the charity by next March - and is going to raise it by Swinton employees participating in a number of events. For example, three Swinton colleagues will run the London marathon in April, collecting money that will go towards the charity, while Kennedy himself is going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and take on the three peaks challenge to raise money for the charity.
Swinton employees receive one paid leave day for volunteering and, at a ‘Go Red for Shelter’ event to launch the partnership, Swinton employees donated money and ate red velvet cupcakes while hearing about the work Shelter does.
John Ryan, the hub manager at Manchester for Shelter, said that the statistics on homelessness in the Manchester area were shocking, and that the money was needed.
“Every day we see the devastating effects of the housing crisis on the people of Greater Manchester, where more than 10,500 people are now homeless, living on the streets or struggling in temporary accommodation like B&Bs and hostels while they wait forever for a proper home,” he said.
Ryan explained that with homelessness at a crisis point, support from partners like Swinton makes all the difference, as services are more in need than ever.
“Our services have never been more needed, as so many people lack the insurance of a safe and permanent home of their own,” he said. “Shelter advisers can change lives, and that’s why support like this from Swinton means so much to us and our city.”
Last year more than 28,000 people used the Shelter service in Greater Manchester alone.
