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Plans for village to help city's homeless revealed

EmbassyVillage A CGI image of what the Embassy Homeless Village will look like, including a modern 'pod' style accommodation unit under a set of railway arches EmbassyVillage
The Embassy Village in Manchester will provide beds for up to 40 homeless people

A new village designed to help homeless people could be completed before the end of 2025, a charity has announced.

Work has already started to prepare land next to the Bridgewater Canal in the Castlefield area of Manchester city centre.

Within 12 months, support charity Embassy said it hoped up to 40 people would be living in a new community there.

A spokesman said the aim was to "support tenants permanently move off the streets and find work".

Gabriel Gabor, who has now found a job after previously sleeping rough on the streets of Manchester, smiles for the camera. He has a long brown-grey beard and wears a dark grey jacket and yellow jumper.
Gabriel Gabor said he had spent years sleeping rough in Manchester

Embassy said it hoped the £5m village would be opened before next winter.

The charity currently rents five properties to 15 former homeless people, including Gabriel Gabor.

The 36-year-old, who said he had grown up in a Romanian orphanage, moved to Manchester in 2013.

Without Embassy, Mr Gabor said he would still be living on the city's streets.

"I slept rough under a railway bridge near the canals in Castlefield," he said.

"It was scary and I couldn't sleep properly. Embassy helped me with showering, toiletries, clothing and shoes."

Mr Gabor now works as a cleaner in Spinningfields and rents a flat in Lower Broughton, Salford.

"I've got a job and I'm trying to do security courses.

"My ambition is to work for a homeless charity. You get to meet and help people."

Photograph of a series of railway arches next to canals in Castlefield on the edge of Manchester city centre.
The new village will be built under a series of Victorian railway arches

The homeless village will consist of 40 single-occupancy homes for men, alongside gardens, sports facilities and a village hall that will be used for training.

Embassy director Sid Williams said: "We can't have absolutely anyone live with us - but critically, they have to learn to shop, cook and budget.

"The whole thing is a live 'dress-rehearsal' for running your own home."

He said those being supported by the charity also "have to be up for work", and proudly noted that "92% of people leave us with a full-time job".

Photograph of Sid Williams, who runs the Embassy homeless charity - underneath a railway arch in Castlefield
Sid Williams runs the Embassy homeless charity

While Embassy initially considered using shipping containers to create its new village, that idea was quickly dropped in favour of building purpose-built homes.

Landowners, planning consultants and architects have all provided their professional services for free to help the charity.

A smiling James Whittaker from Peel Waters stands underneath a series of railway arches in the Castlefield area of central Manchester. He is wearing a yellow hi-vis jacket.
James Whittaker from Peel Waters donated land for the new homeless village

James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said "so many businesses have got involved saying, 'I will give you my time free of charge'.

"We probably would've spent £1.5 million, if it wasn't for those free services.

"Hundreds of people have been involved in this project to get to this stage but when we see the first homeless people moving into these homes, that will be a special moment."

Photograph of a bulldozer underneath railway arches in Manchester
Construction on the Embassy Homeless Village is expected to take 10 months
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