Beneath 22 railway arches in the Castlefield area of Manchester, a village now stands. 40 fully furnished homes, each with its own front door. A village hall, a sports area, vegetable gardens with more than 1,800 plants and a dedicated space for mentoring. Embassy Village is the first project of its kind in the United Kingdom.
The charity Embassy developed the village over six years. Co-founder and director Sid Williams had previously used a converted luxury tour bus to provide shelter for homeless people. When he found that only one in 25 landlords was willing to house his clients, he decided to build himself.
More than 130 businesses from Manchester contributed, most of them free of charge. Architects, engineers, construction firms and tradespeople donated materials, labour and expertise. Costs were covered by donations, including 3.5 million pounds from the Moulding Foundation and 1.7 million pounds in public funding. Windows, heat pumps, bed frames and furniture were donated.
Residents receive six hours of personal support each week: cooking, budgeting, work readiness. Embassy works with 22 companies that offer full-time positions. The goal is for residents to eventually leave the village with a job and a home of their own.
Williams calls the result a quiet miracle under the arches.
Sources
- https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/embassy-village-homeless-housing-under-bridge
- https://housingdigital.co.uk/embassy-village-is-a-miracle-under-the-arches/
- https://constructionmaguk.co.uk/construction-completes-on-embassy-village-manchester-uks-first-of-its-kind-community-supporting-people-out-of-homelessness/