You can read the full version of the April 2025 e-bulletin here.

Our Action Groups and ongoing work

Real Change MCR 
The funding panel has recently been joined by Jack Dorney, Regional and Client Manager at Encore. Other panel members include representatives from CityCo, Manchester Metropolitan University, GameFM, Reach out to the Community, Booth Centre and Manchester City Council.
Panel members have spent time reviewing and updating the funding application form and criteria and are working on a communications plan to raise awareness of Real Change MCR and encourage donations. 
Real Change MCR is a fund to help people experiencing homelessness in Manchester pay for practical items that they need to build lives away from the streets. The fund is used by Manchester homelessness organisations and charities who provide long-term support on the journey to independent living.
Several panel members and their colleagues are taking part in the AJ Bell Greater Manchester Run on 18 May to raise funding and you are able to support them via this Just Giving link. 
A big thanks to the Buccaneer Group in Northwich, for donating Real Change MCR t-shirts and hoodies to promote awareness of the fund. 

Health and Homelessness
Improving nutrition among people experiencing homelessness
Poor nutrition is a significant challenge for people experiencing homelessness, and can lead to weakened immunity, delayed recovery from illness and risk of depression and anxiety.
A nutrition project delivered by London-based homelessness service, Providence Row, commissioned Homeless Link to conduct research in Tower Hamlets. The research examines current food provision and explores gaps and opportunities in access to food and nutrition among people experiencing homelessness and using substances.
You are able to watch a video about improving nutrition in homelessness services.
A webinar also took place recently based on the research above and here is a link to the slides presented:
– Debra Hertzberg slides
– Hannah Style slides
– Neal McArdle slides
– Rachel Garcia slides

TB and Homelessness
This resource from Groundswell has information on TB symptoms, treatment and how you can catch it. If you want to know more, the resource is available here. Their resources are aimed at people experiencing homelessness and those who support them.

As Soon As You Are Pregnant – You’re online guide to early pregnancy
There is a lot to consider when getting ready for a baby’s birth. From booking your first midwife appointment to understanding the different tests available, you can find all the information you need on this website to help you make informed decisions about you and your baby. On this website, you’ll find all the information you need about the choices you have available to you and it is available in a range of languages: 
– Early pregnancy care
– Booking your first midwife appointment
– Essential prenatal screenings and tests

Homeless Dental Outreach Clinics
Please note new opening times and that Revive is now trading as Rodericks Dental Partners. 
Rodericks Dental Partners runs Homeless Outreach Clinics from the Ancoats Primary Care Centre every Tuesday and Wednesday. 
– Tuesday from 10am till 12pm
– Wednesday from 9am till 11.00am
These clinics are emergency clinics to get the patient out of pain. People can turn up between these times, sit and wait to be seen. Call 0161 274 1655 for further information. The address is First Floor, Ancoats Primary Care Centre, Old Mill Street, Manchester, M4 6EE. On arrival, people are asked to go to the community desk and let reception know they are coming to the outreach dental and they will be let upstairs.

Children, Young People and Homelessness

Blog: Fatherlessness & Homelessness from Grace + Truth

Mark Wood is the Chief Executive of the Colchester Korban Project which works with young homeless people and has written this blog for Grace + Truth.

England’s Homeless Children: The crisis in temporary accommodation
This report focuses on the sharp end of England’s housing crisis: the rising demand for temporary accommodation provision among families, which is seeing dire outcomes for homeless children and unsustainable cost pressures for some local authorities. Over 164,000 homeless children are currently living in temporary accommodation across England – the highest number on record. You can read the full report with recommendations here. 
Shared Health Foundation CEO, Dr Laura Neilson has issued a statement on this new report highlighting the crisis of children living in temporary accommodation.

Report: Trans Pathway Peer Research report
Over the past three years, akt Trans Pathway project has supported 95 trans and non-binary young people facing homelessness with holistic, trans-led support. Now, with the help of two incredible peer researchers – young trans people with lived experience – they are sharing the project’s insights and learnings through their new Peer Research Report. This research will not only shape akt’s future work but will help the wider sector become more trans-inclusive and improve support for trans and non-binary young people facing homelessness. 

Our Reframe Project 

Manchester Women’s Aid

The new Our Reframe project from Manchester Women’s Aid is now open for referrals. The Reframe Project and new Specialist Intervention Worker will support women experiencing multiple child removal due to multiple disadvantage. This service cannot reunite mothers and children but will provide intensive support to women. Here is the referral form to the project and a PDF poster.

Report: The health of women from ethnic minority groups in England – The Kings Fund
The key messages from this King’s Fund report are: 
– 1 in 4 women in England is from an ethnic minority group, of whom many are migrants. Women from ethnic minority groups experience inequalities in health, and in access to, and experience of, health care services.
– The risks to health and health inequalities in women from ethnic minority groups start early and are apparent across the life course. Their specific health needs are often not fully recognised or addressed by health care services.
– Women from ethnic minority groups are not a homogenous group. Patterns of health, and the determinants of health, differ significantly between and within ethnic groups.
– Women from most ethnic minority groups experience lower overall mortality than women from the White British group. Women from the Chinese group have the best health outcomes overall. Mortality is highest in the White Gypsy or Irish Traveller group. The mortality advantage in most ethnic minority migrant groups, and in second UK-born generations, wanes over time due to environmental and behavioural changes resulting from cultural assimilation.
– Women from South Asian and Black groups experience a higher burden of some common preventable conditions and of maternal mortality.
The causes of health inequalities across women’s life course are multifactorial and intersect. Health outcomes are shaped by the socio-economic, behavioural and wider determinants of health, and these differ significantly between and among ethnic minority groups. For example, on several socio-economic measures, women from Indian and Chinese groups compare favourably with other ethnic groups, including White British, whereas women from Pakistani, Bangladeshi and Black groups are most affected by socio-economic adversity and poverty.
– Some women from ethnic minority groups face obstacles when it comes to staying healthy and accessing health care due to the way health care services are structured – this includes language barriers, lack of interpreters, services that are not culturally competent and poor health literacy.
– There is a wider societal context in which deprivation and structural racism can reinforce inequalities among ethnic minority groups – for example, in education, housing and employment – which in turn can have a negative impact on health. Racism and discrimination can also impact negatively on the physical and mental health of women from ethnic minority groups and their interaction with health care services.
You can read the full report here. 

Migration and Homelessness

Maternity Action – Migrant Women’s Rights Service – Training and Support
Do you work with migrant women who are pregnant or new mothers? Do you need help to sort out income, housing and access to services for these women?
The Migrant Women’s Rights Service provides advice to volunteers, advisers, community workers, midwives and maternity support workers who are supporting migrant women who are pregnant or new mothers. They provide advice on the housing and support options for all migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, including women who have overstayed their visas.  They also provide advice on NHS charging and access to NHS maternity care. This is a confidential advice service for those working with vulnerable migrant women. They are unable to provide advice to individual women.
Research Evaluation: Digital lifelines: How Wi-Fi Impacts the Lives of Residents in Temporary Accommodation
This evaluation explores how a simple internet solution – Jangala’s Get Box – has enabled people in temporary accommodation in Coventry to have increased access to the internet. These findings show residents with a Get Box experienced improvements in emotional wellbeing, empowerment and vital connection. Working with local charities, NHS services and housing associations, this pilot project supported 429 people to get online. This new research evaluation report, conducted by Jangala, explores the critical need for internet access and the impact of connectivity in their lives.

Funding Opportunity
The Booth Centre working in partnership with the Charity Service, and a wonderful group of people with lived experience of homelessness and accessing homeless services, the Participatory Grant-making Programme Grants will be live for applications on Monday.
The Booth Centre and the Charity Service have been working together to build a grant committee of people with lived experience to provide grant funding, up to a maximum of £5,000, to registered charities and constituted community/voluntary organisations working to deliver activities, support and services aimed at preventing homelessness within the Greater Manchester area.
In particular they want to encourage applications from organisations that are directly addressing at least one of the following issues:
– Safe Accommodation
– No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF)
– Growing a community of people accessing services – reducing social isolation and empowering people who attend
Applications for Round 1 are open and will close on Friday 23rd May.
For further information and to receive an application form organisations should contact Pete Yarwood – Grant Coordinator at The Charity Service by email at pete.yarwood@charityservice.org.uk or by calling 07936 917679.

Blogs, Guidance, Policies, Polls, Reports and Videos

Report: Systems-wide evaluation of homelessness and rough sleeping: preliminary findings
This is the first report of the Systems-Wide Evaluation of Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Services. The aim of this innovative evaluation is to identify opportunities to improve the way that the homelessness and rough sleeping system works to ensure it is delivering the best possible outcomes for those who need to make use of services and value for money for the taxpayer.
Podcast: Risk and Resilience’s latest Frontline Podcast episode explores the history and effects of ketamine, featuring interviews with experts and individuals receiving support at Birchwood. This podcast could be useful for frontline workers who work with people affected by ketamine use.
Blog: Justlife’s Homelessness Peer Research Work
Justlife, the organisation which facilitates the Brighton and Hove Frontline Network, have published a blog on their peer research project. The blog outlines research on how conditions in temporary accommodation impact physical and mental health, along with five key recommendations for the support provided for people in temporary accommodation, and the impact of their work so far.
Shelter: Read how social landlords can improve their responses to damp and mould, with case studies of good and bad practice from investigations by the Housing Ombudsman 
Blog: World Health Day: Mental health and homelessness – Homeless Link
When you work in homelessness services, the link between homelessness and poor mental health is obvious. But when trying to find appropriate mental health support, it can feel as though the wider world is behind on understanding this connection. Read this latest blog from Homeless Link.

Street Engagement HubThe Street Engagement Hub is a multi-agency project – hosted by Mustard Tree at its Ancoats hub – alongside partner agencies made up from statutory bodies and charities. It’s a space where people who are sleeping rough can engage with various different services in one place – and walk away with a positive outcome, live a healthier and safer life and get off the streets. “They treat you as a person and listen to what you need – not what they want to do”. – Ben, Street Engagement Hub client. Watch this video of the Street Engagement Hub.