Leading housebuilder Barratt Homes has donated £1,500 to Building 4 Hope, a charity dedicated to supporting vulnerable young adults, as part of its Community Fund scheme.

Based in Solihull, Building 4 Hope has given young people in the West Midlands the chance to gain recognised construction qualifications and life skills. The charity was set up to assist some of the 724,000 young people not in education, training or employment (NEET).


With many in this group likely to turn to crime or drug-use, the charity has successfully intervened and helped young people gain both employment and, more importantly, a sense of purpose and self-worth.

The donation from Barratt Homes has been used to carry out the charity’s mission statement and aims: to teach, train, equip and support its learners and enhance their opportunities to learn, achieve and gain employment.

Kevin Byrne, CEO at Building 4 Hope, said:

“Very often our users will have almost no schooling and would be turned away from both employment and other training schemes because of their lack of qualifications. Our approach is to not just get our users qualifications, but to also develop in them an outlook and the skills that will keep them employed.

“The training we offer leads to nationally recognised construction qualifications, enabling them to work on sites and enter apprenticeships. To this end, we support our learners with job interviews, driving tests, budgeting, basic numeracy, fitness and literacy amongst other skills. We will even continue to support our users as they go into the workplace.

“We use construction as a practical tool which helps to give our young people the means to develop these skills and attributes, with many of our learners having gone into the construction industry as well as other fields.”

The charity has had tremendous success over recent years, with over 90% of its learners going into employment or further education. Due to this, more and more young people in the West Midlands are seeking support from Building 4 Hope.


Tom continued:

“We don’t rely on government funding due to the uniqueness of the charity, therefore we really appreciate any financial support from individuals, organisations and stakeholders. This is what continues to keep our charity going.

“The donations we receive have such a positive impact upon not only the individuals who are struggling but in turn their families and communities. The work of Building4Hope helps change lives for the better, provides opportunities to our young people that they otherwise wouldn’t get and gives them real prospects for their future.

“There is a skills shortage in construction, and we are meeting that need by providing unique training to our learners. We would welcome any support, especially any job opportunities and work experience which help our learners transfer their skills into the workplace.”

Barratt Homes’ donation came from The Barratt Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

Adrian Evans, Managing Director at Barratt Homes West Midlands, said:

“We are proud to have been able to support Building 4 Hope, which offers an incredibly important service to many young people around Birmingham.

“It’s vital that we provide young adults with realistic and well-structured pathways into further education and employment to ensure they don’t struggle later in life. We encourage anyone between 16 and 24-years-old with an interest in construction and may be struggling to visit Building 4 Hope and see what support they have to offer.”

Building 4 Hope is located close to The Elms, a brand new housing development on Shaftmoor Lane in Hall Green.

To find out more about the charity and the services it offers, visit its website at Building 4 Hope.

For more information about Barratt Homes or any developments in the area, visit the website at Barratt Homes in the West Midlands.