A former office block in Levenshulme has been converted into flats for homeless Manchester families with huge success.
Set up by HSPG, a property investment company on a mission to end the homelessness crisis in the UK, in partnership with Manchester City Council, the converted block offers a lifeline to those finding themselves newly homeless.
It also welcomes those who are housed in unsuitable bed and breakfast accommodation.
Stripped down and restructured, today it might look a bit like an office block from the outside but inside it’s filled with clean and modern flats with all the mod-cons a family would need to help get themselves back on their feet.
Image: HSPG
First opened in March 2021, a key aim of Levenshulme’s Apex House is to prevent families from spiralling into long-term homelessness.
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Here, three on-site support workers work closely with both the families and the council’s private rented sector team to move people into suitable long-term housing.
A year on, 62 families have passed through its doors and into permanent accommodation.
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Vineta Simon, 31, and her two-month-old baby have been at Apex House for a month, and she is full of praise for the facilities and the staff.
Vineta said: ” I come from a working family, I’ve always worked, I owned a car, had a home but when I got pregnant and my relationship broke up, everything went downhill.
Image: HSPG
“I had to reach out for help for the first time ever and it has been a really difficult journey, from becoming homelesss, something I never thought would happen to me, up until now.
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“When I got this flat in Apex House, I burst into tears because it was so clean, nicely refurbished and it just felt really safe and secure; it had an immediate impact on my mental health, it made me feel like a human being again.
“The facilities are fantastic and there are staff around all the time to help me. Being in this flat with my baby has given me some breathing space and I can see light at the end of the tunnel, whereas before I could never imagine my future.
“I want to get on and find a new home and go back to work, I am thinking about building a new future with my baby and I want to give something back because I will remember each and every one who has helped me along the way.”
The project has proved so successful that the Council is now working with developers and looking at other premises in the city where it can be replicated.
In the last year, 82 families have been accommodated in Apex House and 62 have been supported to move on, 20 of which are still receiving support to find permanent accommodation.
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Image: HSPG
Of the 62 families who have been rehoused, 60% were rehoused within eight weeks, 19% were rehoused within three months and for 21% with greater needs, it has taken more than three months, to find them the most appropriate move-on accommodation.
Councillor Luthfur Rahman OBE, deputy leader of Manchester City Council said: “Manchester is leading the way with innovative solutions to support families get back on their feet.
“We are incredibly pleased with the results of this new approach to support families into permanent accommodation in Apex House. It has proved so successful that we would like to replicate this across the city.
“No-one wants to find themselves homeless, but Apex provides good temporary accommodation in a modern, fully furnished building.
“Our aim is to house families here for as short a period as possible before moving them quickly into settled accommodation.
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“We are seeing the benefits of this model with targeted support which moves families on in a short space of time helping to keep family disruption, particularly children’s education, to a minimum.”
Feature image – HSPG / Google
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New police hub to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour
Emily Sergeant
A new police hub is set to be established in Piccadilly Gardens.
In case you missed it, it was announced last week that council tax in Greater Manchester could be increased to help fund improvements to policing, and that a consultation on it has been launched – with local residents urged to have their say.
The police precept helps Greater Manchester Police (GMP) to build on a range of improvements, including the speed of answering 999 and 101 calls, road and transport safety across Manchester city centre, and bringing more sex offenders to justice, among many other things.
Greater Manchester council tax is set to be increased again to help fund improvements to policing, and a consultation is now live. 🏘️🚔📝
But on top of this, Mayor Andy Burnham has also pledged to deliver a new police hub in Piccadilly Gardens as part of a wider drive to improve policing.
GMCA says its ‘top priority’ is to build strong communities where people feel safe, and it is Mayor Andy Burnham and his Deputy Mayors’ responsibility to enable GMP to be an ‘effective and efficient’ police force.
Local leaders say their ambition for 2026 is to maintain a ‘high-performing’ police service by tackling crime and anti-social behaviour, and protecting residents and businesses along the way – and part of this ambition is to increase police visibility in Piccadilly Gardens, which is a much-maligned part of the city centre, by launching a new ‘prominent’ police hub.
The increase in the police precept is also being touted to help increase ‘hot spot policing tactics’ in town centres and other key locations to help drive down theft and other violent retail crimes.
A new police hub is to be set up in Piccadilly Gardens to help reduce anti-social behaviour / Credit: Gerald England (via Geograph) | Rawpixel
“We need GMP to be properly funded if it is to continue to deliver an effective and responsive service for people in Greater Manchester,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham. “The cost of running a modern police force is going up and this is at a time when our city region has become the fastest-growing economy in the UK, with visitor numbers increasing year after year.
“So much is happening here and that includes a number of major and complex incidents over the past year, including a terrorist attack. These incidents added significant pressure to police resources.
“We recognise the ongoing impact of the rising cost of living and do not take the decision to increase the precept lightly. But right now, this increase is our only option to ensure GMP can continue delivering an effective police service that ensures that people feel safe in their own communities.”
The Greater Manchester public can respond to the police precept consultation online at www.gmconsult.org until next Wednesday 21 January.
Featured Image – GMP
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Manchester United youth captain Rhys Bennett delivers moving mental health message
Danny Jones
Manchester United academy player and youth team captain Rhys Bennett is being applauded for giving an inspirational interview following the death of his father, sharing a moving and important message about mental health awareness.
Just a disclaimer, while the sit-down with Sky Sports News is deeply touching, it does touch on some triggering subjects, such as suicide.
If you missed the tragic news last year, Rhys’ dad, David, sadly took his own life back in October after battling with depression, with his 22-year-old son speaking to the media back this past December and urging people to “just reach out“.
Since then, further clips from the candid and tearjerking chat haves surfaced online once again, and some are seeing them for the first time, with Bennett once again being met with praise for tackling the subject with bravery and sensitivity.
The Denton-born defender didn’t hesitate in insisting that he wouldn’t be where he is without his parents and David, in particular, but said that opening up and talking to people, as well as getting back into regular routines like eating and sleeping right helped him recover through the grieving process.
He went on to add that he believes “people don’t realise just how appreciated they are” and that the simple act of asking if someone is ok or how they are doing can make a huge difference.
Dubbing it a “permanent solution to a temporary problem”, he also urged those to remember to check in people they love regularly, i.e. not just wait for when they think something might be wrong.
Like anything, being pro-active and preventitive measures are just important in the ongoing mental health crisis that effects millions across the UK alone, with men, specifically, dying from suicide are a higher rate than females.
Bennett, of course, is not the only sports personality to have raised issues around wellbeing of late; not even locally, either, as Stopfordian Nathan Aspinall also called on the Professional Darts Players Association to offer better mental health service – citing “at least two of three people” who need help.
The Denton-born defender has been labelled as “wise beyond his years” and it being apparent why he has been chosen to lead the likes of under 18s and U21s.
Bennett finished up last season at Fleetwood Town after spending his previous loan spell at local side Stockport County, but has since returned to the academy setup back at Carrington.
You can see his full interview with Sky Sports HERE, and to echo the same sentiment we can’t stress enough how much a problem shared is a problem halved.
If you’re struggling with your mental health, you can call the NHS via 111, speak to your GP, use helplines such as the Samaritans on 116 123, as well as find other services via Manchester City Council.
You can contact other charities like Manchester Mind and Andy’s Man Club, or get in touch with Greater Manchester Talking Therapies online. As always, in case of emergencies, please dial 999 immediately.
There is so much help for you out there. For instance, if you need some want an outlet to free up some headspace whilst meeting new like-minded people and getting some fresh air, there’s plenty of groups all over Greater Manchester.
You'd be surprised how much good a walk and having a chat with a friend can do. 🥾❤️
Georgina Pellant -
24th March 2022 
