Voluntary and community organisations supporting people at risk of and experiencing homelessness in Manchester come in many forms, but all are on the frontline of delivering change and providing vital support to some of the city’s most vulnerable people. From hot meals and emergency accommodation to outreach, advice, and long-term pathways out of homelessness, they play a vital role in addressing homelessness with compassion, dignity, and respect.

Across the nine organisations within Manchester Homelessness Partnership who participated in an information gathering exercise, here is the impact and social value of their work across the city:

People Power

·        Almost 200 full-time staff are employed.

·        Volunteers contributed over 23,000 hours in 2024–25, alongside additional corporate volunteering on projects and activity days.

“Amanda, Head of Homelessness, Caritas Salford is proud to be working with other voluntary and statutory sector partners to prevent homelessness in Manchester and to ensure that there is an effective safety net for those that do become homeless with the support to help people to find new homes and resettle in the community.”

Social value and impact

Approximately 10,706 individuals have been seen by these voluntary, community, faith and social, enterprise organisations. Instead of temporary fixes, organisations are investing in long-term solutions that reduces reliance on emergency services, eases pressure on frontline support, and most importantly, gives people the dignity, stability, and opportunity to thrive.

Lily, Chief Executive, Greater Together Manchester stated “As a small charity, we know just how important partnership is. By working together across the sector and with statutory partners, we’re able to combine strengths and create more impact than any of us could achieve individually. Partnership also gives us a stronger collective voice to influence and shape policy, locally, regionally, and nationally, ensuring that the realities faced by the people we support are heard where decisions are made. As charities we all work hard to build on any public sector money we receive, generating additional income from trusts and foundations, from philanthropists and the private sector, that increases our impact and helps us support more people to flourish and enjoy life in all its fullness”

Financial Impact

·        Total of £9,630,734 was invested in tackling homelessness, inequality, and poverty.

·        Generated £9,454,721 in income for homelessness services, including £5,192,477 in public sector grants from Manchester and Greater Manchester.

·        An additional £3,476,101 was raised through fundraising and donations, all reinvested locally.

Hendrix, Chief Executive, Coffee4 Craig stated “The £9 million accumulated investment figure really highlights both the commitment of the nine organisations across Manchester’s third sector and the magnitude of the homelessness crisis we’re dealing with. However, without addressing the root causes – housing availability, education pathways, and genuine employment opportunities – we’re essentially treating symptoms rather than systemic issues. It’s like emptying the bath with the tap running! Unless we see systemic change that matches the scale of investment with real solutions in housing, education, and employment, we’ll continue to see these investment numbers grow year on year. The question isn’t whether we’ll need more financial investment or more hours through volunteering and additional staff – it’s how we can use this evidence of our sector’s commitment to drive the upstream changes that will stem the flow and turn the tap off”

Local Economic Benefit

·        £825,454 was spent with Manchester businesses and contractors, including cleaning, facility management, food suppliers, accountancy, room hire, security, and public transport for people accessing services.

Yvonne, Chief Executive, Barnabus stated “We know we contribute a lot to our local communities, but until now we didn’t know just how big our contribution is; not just in terms of our missions but also our financial contribution to the local economy. We may be small but together we pack a big punch!”

Skills and Education

All nine organisations support professional development and higher education through the provision of apprenticeships and student placements in social work, social care, nursing, dentistry, counselling, and theology, in partnership with local educational institutions including: the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University, Salford University, Chester University, and Nazarene Theological College.

Ros, Chief Executive, The Boaz Trust stated “Manchester Homelessness Partnership is a great example of organisations coming together across different skills, sectors, and services to make a real difference in our local communities. The numbers are impressive, but it’s not just about the numbers. Through the wide-ranging work of these organisations and this partnership, people have found places to call home, places where they can thrive, and places where they truly belong.”

The organisations who participated in this data collection were: Barnabus, Boaz Trust, Booth Centre, Caritas Cornerstone, Coffee4Craig, Greater Together Manchester, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit, Manchester Action on Street Health, and Shelter. The Manchester Homelessness Partnership unites people with personal experience of homelessness with organisations from different sectors, to co-produce solutions together to end homelessness.