We're ready to transform Bridgewater Canal railway arches into vital new Manchester 'village'

There are more people in Manchester on waitlists for shelters than there are places. And for those fortunate enough to have found a place in a shelter, there is currently a further 10-15 year wait for social housing. 

These startling statistics are a driving force for Embassy, a Manchester-based charity with a radical plan for helping rough sleepers. In the coming months, work will finally begin on Embassy Village, 40 self-contained homes, complete with kitchenette and bathroom, in the city centre with on-site staff and facilities to provide those in need with all the skills to thrive on their own – or as Embassy co-founder Sid Williams describes it: a 'dress rehearsal for life'.

Motivated by their Christian faith, Sid and his wife Tess founded the charity in 2018. Thanks to a generous investment from Capital & Centric, co-founded by Greater Manchester Mayor's Charity chair Tim Heatley, they were able to find a unique way of providing temporary accommodation for rough sleepers – by buying Coldplay’s old tour bus and converting it into a roaming shelter. 

With enough room for about 12 people, Sid told ManchesterWorld it was like going on a “luxury world tour of Salford”. He added: “We thought ‘we're fond of these lads and we're having a good time with them, we can go to the beach on the weekends, which most shelters can't, we didn't need planning permission, but we don't want to see them in half a decade from now, we want to see them move on’.”

To do that, Embassy established connections with 22 different companies, which employ the residents. The charity makes sure all contracts are permanent, full-time and at least living wage. Finding private landlords to take them on as tenants after moving on from the bus, however, was much harder. 

So when all shelters across the UK were forced to shut due to the pandemic, Embassy realised that they had to find a way to become their own landlords. Just before lockdown, they were introduced to Peel L&P, who offered them 1.5 acres of land under the arches on the Bridgewater Canal to use for a decade for free. But with such long wait times for social housing, they needed more time. So Peel extended the free lease to 125 years for the Embassy Village project. 

During lockdown, they managed to secure £400,000 of pro-bono work from companies to help make Embassy Village a reality – everything from architecture to engineering. And by the end of lockdown, their planning application was approved.

Sid said: “What was more amazing is the fact that everyone knew full well I didn't have any money to build this thing with. That still blows my mind really, that people were that generous and willing to take a punt on it.”

More good news came when The Hut Group founder Matt and Jodie Moulding heard about the project through an ITV News report and offered them £3m for the project, enough to start work. However, when the war in Ukraine broke out in 2022 and drove up the cost of building materials, they were faced with another setback. 

In the meantime, they have been helping homeless people by providing accommodation in rented housing dotted around Manchester. They also run volunteering trips for their residents to slums in Kenya, aimed at “broadening horizons” and helping them feel like they do have something to give back to the world. Embassy also runs safe houses for vulnerable women and one of the charity’s other long-term projects is to provide an entire apartment block for women. 

The small charity has had an excellent success rate in supporting vulnerable people. So far, they have helped 175 people and 92% are now in work and housed. “And when I say successful,” Sid said, “we measure success by a higher bar. We're not talking about getting council housing. We're talking about private rental, no longer on benefits and working full time.”

Embassy has spent the last two years “frantically” raising extra funds and now they have enough for the first 24 houses in the village, as well as the village hall, sports pitch and staff accommodation. This first phase is set to be complete by summer 2025. 

However, the project still needs £1million and Sid is urging people to donate. The charity is on the lookout for businesses that might be interested in sponsoring whole houses, but donations from private individuals of any size are welcome. More information about how to donate and get involved can be found on the Embassy website.