Joanne Bliss

Joanne qualified as a nurse in 1993 and has spent the majority of her career in the NHS as a District Nurse.

She is married with 2 grown up children, a foster daughter with learning difficulties and a cheeky bulldog called Denzel. In her spare time she loves to sing at her local church and with a community choir.

Latest

Helping a friend to overcome mental health problems

Another success as Barnabus helped a man get back on his feet and to battle his mental health problems.
From the Streets of Nigeria to the Streets of Manchester

A visit 7 years in the making. A missionary couple in Nigeria connected with us and wanted to visit Manchester to serve Barnabus. A global pandemic and many ups and downs later Titus came to visit us.
Stuck sleeping in a car with chronic back pain

Ben was not only homeless but suffering from chronic back pain which could not be operated on until he was housed. It was a race to get him housed to help relieve that pain he suffered from daily
Shining a light on access to Physiotherapy

Sleeping on the cold hard streets results in many aches and pains and aggravates existing problems and injuries. The relief from the pain that physiotherapy can provide is life changing for many of our friends. For the past four years Barnabus has hosted physiotherapy students from Manchester Metropolitan University, supervised by a physiotherapist, in our medical suite. It's a brilliant opportunity for the students to gain clinical experience whilst also providing our friends with physiotherapy

Sarah Lavelle

Trustee
Matt Lacey

Trustee
Tim Elston

Treasurer
Steve Best

Chairman of Trustees

Volunteer with us

Our wonderful volunteers are the heart of what we do and without them, we couldn’t do the work we do to get people housed. We have volunteers from all over Greater Manchester, as well as Cheshire and Lancashire, all age groups and all walks of life.
CLOTHING. FOOD. TOILETRIES. FOUNDATIONS FOR A NEW LIFE

Please support our work with donations of the items we are short of but need to run our services everyday. You can also support us through ordering urgently needed items online to be delivered to our door.
Homelessness in Manchester

If you’ve walked the streets of Manchester, you’ve almost certainly passed by a rough sleeper. In fact, you’ve probably noticed that there are more people living and sleeping out on the streets. In 2010, the official rough sleeper figure was 7. In 2018, it was 94. Unfortunately, we know that in reality, the number is much higher. Please read on to find out more about homelessness in our city.
I'M HOMELESS AND I NEED HELP

Barnabus helps adults who are homeless – whether you’re living on the streets, in temporary accommodation or at risk of homelessness. If you have a family with dependents under the age of 18 or are under 18 yourself, we recommend that you contact your local authority immediately.
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

We currently have the following vacancies
Dragon Boat Race, Salford Quays, TBC 2025

Join our Barnabus team at Salford Quays for another fantastic sponsored Dragon Boat race across the dock. Have fun and at the same time help people on their journey from the streets and into a home for good.
How we're helping

The stress and anxiety people can suffer when they are homeless means they often feel afraid to reach out and taking that small step towards getting help can seem like a mammoth task. That’s why our team is there to help from the start, giving tailored support and advice every single step of the way.
Great Manchester Run, Sunday 26th May, 2024

We love this supporting our sponsored runners at this event. Set your self the personal goal of taking part in one of Europe's biggest 10km races and raising funds to change the lives of people without a home and we will do all we can to support you.
Our history

It all started in 1991 with one couple, some sandwiches and a flask of hot coffee. Walking the streets of Manchester, our founder Peter Green could not believe that there were people on his doorstep who had nothing. So, with a little help from his Christian faith, he set out to do something. Luckily, Peter and his wife Beryl had plenty of love – and sandwiches – to share.
GETTING OFF THE STREETS TAKES MANY STEPS. WE’LL BE THERE FOR EVERY ONE OF THEM.

We host a range of social, creative and skill-based afternoon activities to improve self-confidence and wellbeing. They’re all held at our Beacon Support Centre.