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 2019, it was 123. Unfortunately, we know that in reality, the number is much higher. We help up to 100 people a day in our drop-in centre alone – and it’s not just people living on the streets who come to us for aid. Being homeless is not having a home to call your own. This means that there are hundreds of hidden homeless people in Manchester living in hostels, emergency and temporary accommodation, or on friends’ sofas. And they all need our help.

We’ve always done things differently in Manchester. This is why the city has come together to end homelessness under the Manchester Homelessness Partnership. Barnabus is proud to be part of two action groups that work to provide practical solutions to help homeless people get back on their feet.

Our mission is to empower people to build new lives through finding a new home, but we can’t do this alone. We work hand-in-hand with the Mayor’s Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network and Coalition of Relief, Greater Manchester Police, Manchester City Council and Big Change. Whether it’s applying for rent deposits or making sure our friends on the streets are safe, these incredible organisations help us in our mission to end homelessness.

The Manchester Homelessness Charter

In 2016, the Manchester Homelessness Charter set out to end homelessness for good. At Barnabus, we’re proud to play our role alongside other incredible charities, organisations and businesses who all want to make a difference. Whether it’s donations, volunteering or creating jobs for homeless people – no pledge is too small, and no problem is too big.

The Manchester Homelessness Charter has formed action groups, with each group tackling a different problem. Barnabus is part of the Evening Provision and Homelessness Prevention groups. This means we work closely with our partners to do everything we can to help rough sleepers and the vulnerably housed.

Fancy making a pledge yourself? Visit https://charter.streetsupport.net or https://mhp.org.uk/ By working together, we can all play a part to #endhomelessness in Manchester.