The 'village' beneath railway arches that could help tackle homelessness

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Work has started on a ‘village’ beneath the railway arches in Manchester city centre that could help the city tackle rough sleeping.

Embassy Village will house up to 40 homeless men on St George’s Island in Castlefield. Around 40 studio homes beneath 22 railway bridges off Egerton Street will provide short and medium-term stays for residents while they are helped back onto their feet. READ NEXT: Deliveroo driver GUILTY over tragic crash which killed pensioner, 86 The 4.5 acre site will also include a community centre with counselling room and a training centre, communal green spaces, allotment gardens and sports areas, with much of the build being carried out not-for-profit by construction firm Vermont Group.

The project has taken four years to get to this point, with planning permission first granted in 2021. Around 67 different companies and trusts came together to fund the £5m build, with bosses estimating the project received more than £1m in unpaid work to bring the site to life.

Speaking to the MEN, Embassy Village’s Sid Williams said: “It feels very much like a Manchester effort. There’s that phrase - it takes a village to raise a child, but it turns out it takes a city to raise a village.” Construction is expected to be completed within 10 months.