After 12 months of building work, the first 25 residents have now moved into the YMCA accommodation on Reservoir Road, Erdington.
Funded in part by a £1m grant from The Homes and Communities Agency, the new development has 34 flats, all comprised of a bedroom, living room, kitchen area and bathroom, in a housing scheme called ‘The Vineyard’ – phase 2 of ‘The Orchard’, YMCA Birmingham’s ambitious redevelopment of its site on Reservoir Rd, Erdington.
The expansion comes five years after the first phase of ‘The Orchard’ was opened in 2010 offering 83 flats for young people.
As well as vital accommodation, the new development also houses a new community and conferencing centre – The Chris Bryant Centre. This comprises a community coffee shop
– intended to help young people gain work experience –extra meeting and training rooms, and a multi-use hall for use by local people and businesses.
The Chris Bryant Centre was made possible by a generous bequest from former YMCA Birmingham Chris Bryant, and two charitable trusts that he set up. It has also received over £40,000 of funding from The People’s Postcode Lottery and The Peter Harrison Foundation, and £250,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation. It will benefit over 9,000 people every year through a variety of programmes including; 5-a-side football, exercise classes, after school clubs and soft play sessions.
CEO of YMCA Birmingham, Alan Fraser, is keen that the flagship development has a wide-reaching benefit for not only YMCA residents, but also for the community in and around Erdington:
“Our mission has been to put YMCA back at the heart of the local community,” he said. “It’s been a 10 year vision from our first idea to the final brick being laid, but we’re so proud of the finished result. We now have 117 flats – meaning 117 fewer young people who are homeless.
“Right from opening, The Orchard has been a fantastic base for young people in need, and now we can provide a much wider range of opportunities, both for them and the wider community.
“The Vineyard extension is all about providing an affordable place for people to live in and thrive when they no longer need the kind of support that we offer at The Orchard and the other supported housing schemes that we operate.”
Further to housing, YMCA Birmingham also runs programmes of training for residents – teaching everything from employability skills, to self-confidence and life-skills training to CV and mentoring workshops. “It’s all geared towards helping them live out a more positive future,” commented Alan.
More residents are scheduled to move into The Vineyard over the coming weeks.