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One of our favourite desserts at the Care Centre is called Rocky Road - it's full of sugar! And at times this winter it has felt just like a rocky road.

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On 30th November Birmingham's two largest hostels closed, reducing emergency bed spaces for the homeless from 252 to 51. The rationale is to disperse homelessness in Birmingham away from the city centre with HMOs, or 'houses in multiple occupation', throughout the city being the preferred model.

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Currently it is difficult to find independent statistics as a way of checking if this has been an effective measure. However, from the Care Centre’s perspective, from December to March we have provided 68 sleeping bags to people, each one saying that they find themselves sleeping rough.

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Those who come to the Care Centre and who previously lived in hostel accommodation have commented that they do not feel safe in HMOs. It is important to recognise that many housing providers have a genuine concern for their residents, however there are also those whose only interest is in financial gain. As a consequence residents feel unsafe in these properties. They say that their personal belongings are regularly stolen, and that they are being bullied and threatened, particularly during the evenings and at weekends. Sadly some are deciding it would be better to return to living on the streets.

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At the Care Centre this winter we have provided 2,353 hot meals to date. We are running three drop-in sessions, with Emerging Futures, a housing provider; with MIND, giving support with mental health issues; and with the DWP, giving benefit advice. We are also delivering an Alpha course, with approximately 12 attending each week. Our new carpentry workshop is now up and running so, as spring approaches, please place your orders for a personalised bird box! Click here for more information >

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Two new Care Centre staff are Support Worker, Jane Turner and Catering Assistant, Alan Kavanagh (pictured below with Assistant Manager, Alec Petson on the far left). I asked them, 'Why do you do this job?'

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Jane said, 'I have always enjoyed practical work and supporting people. I enjoy meeting those coming in to the centre, letting them know they have a safe space to chat and voice any worries. I also very much enjoy preparing and serving meals. I do feel God has called me to BCM and as a new Christian I am growing in my faith daily.'

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Alan said, 'Having been a BCM volunteer I decided to apply for the job at the Care Centre. In my heart I felt the Lord may open the door. He did and I walked right in!'

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Psalm 86:15 says, 'But you, O Lord, are a God of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and filled with unfailing love and faithfulness.'

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Phil Ansell, Care Centre Manager

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ROUGH SLEEPING SNAPSHOT

Gathering reliable statistics for people sleeping on the streets is difficult. Whilst many think the government's rough sleeping snapshot underestimates the true situation, its latest count shows that in autumn 2024 the number of people sleeping rough on a single night in the UK has increased for the third year in a row to 4,667. This is higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, but remains lower (by 84 people or 2%) than the peak in 2017. In the West Midlands there has been a 35% increase since 2023 from 256 to 346 people sleeping rough on a single night.

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