The Vincentian Family in Great Britain is collaborating to plan 13 Houses projects across the country. As Fr Robert Maloney showed, collaboration was the default position of the early Vincentian Family and so it continues today.
The UK-based Family members met at the start of this year and their current plans total at least 50 new houses, and many more are in the pipeline. This spans the entire country, from Newcastle to London, Cardiff to Norfolk.
The Passage, a Vincentian homelessness charity which runs the UK’s largest homeless day centre, plan to open a new 20-room home called Bentley House. This will be ‘move-on’ accommodation, offering long-term street sleepers in London their own room with support from the Passage’s expert staff. This allows them to gain stability in their life and move out of homelessness for good. Rough sleeping in London has increased rapidly over the past ten years, so this is much-needed new provision.
Depaul UK, a charity specialising in youth homelessness and part of the Depaul International Group, are planning seven garden studio homes for young people aged 16-25 at risk of homelessness in Manchester. These modern designs are simple one-bed homes split over two levels, and are energy neutral to reduce fuel costs for the residents.
Other Vincentian Family members including the SSVP and the DCs are also working to deliver on the 13 Houses Campaign. There are plans to collaborate in order to open exciting new projects, including an SSVP led project in the Welsh capital Cardiff, various shared housing schemes and the offer to exchange advice and expertise to each other along the way.
The GB Family are also looking globally, to support Vincentian Family brothers and sisters with less resource to open 13 Houses projects. This includes the SSVP extending support to open homelessness projects in India, and a potential collaboration in Ethiopia.
The ambitious Vincentian spirit is truly alive in the United Kingdom!
See more about the Campaign on our website.