Eliz Hopkins

A Step Forward Together: Coventry and Greater Change Supporting People Out of Homelessness.

Meeting Greater Change I had the pleasure of meeting Katy Williams, Operations Officer at Greater Change, to hear about their new partnership with Coventry City Council and the difference it is beginning to make.  Greater Change began in Oxford and is now based in London, working with councils and charities across the UK to provide […]

Commitment to Collaborate: an invitation to faith and community groups across the West Midlands

Across the West Midlands there has been steady, thoughtful work to strengthen the way organisations come together to prevent and relieve homelessness. Many people will already have heard of the Commitment to Collaborate toolkit, often called C2C. It was created by the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce with Birmingham Voluntary Service Council, and it was refreshed in […]

Hope Community Pantry: Strength in Community

Hope Community Pantry is part of the Street Support West Midlands network, where local people and organisations work together to reduce hardship and strengthen neighbourhoods. Based in Highgate, one of Birmingham’s most diverse and economically challenged areas, the pantry began in 2023 as part of the Your Local Pantry network. It is a ministry of […]

Boosting Advice: Supporting Refugees and Migrants in Later Life

At the Refugee and Migrant Centre (RMC) in Wolverhampton and Walsall, a new initiative has been making a meaningful difference for older people who arrived in the UK seeking safety and belonging. The “Boosting Advice” project, funded by Independent Age, supports refugees and migrants aged 65 and over by helping them maximise their income, live […]

Nourish, Connect, Support: Coventry Comes Together for Young People This Winter

Across Coventry, more young people are facing housing crises and difficult choices between heating, rent and food. The Bardsley Youth Project, based at Bardsley House on Hill Top, is working to make sure no one has to face those decisions alone. The charity supports 16–25 year olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. […]

Want to help someone sleeping rough in the West Midlands? Here’s what to know first

Your compassion matters Across the West Midlands, the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) Homelessness Taskforce is bringing partners together to design out homelessness by focusing on prevention at every stage. This work follows the Positive Pathway model, which offers a simple way to see how support fits together. The Pathway starts with universal prevention, which […]

Clouds End CIC: Supporting People Who Hoard with Compassion, Not Judgment

Clouds End CIC began with a simple but powerful belief: people who struggle with hoarding deserve compassion, understanding and tailored support, not judgment or stigma. The idea came about because hoarding was so often misunderstood. Too many saw clutter simply as a mess to be cleared, rather than a symptom of deeper struggles such as […]

Hope Community Project Celebrates 40 Years of Supporting Heath Town

  Hope Community Project in Wolverhampton is marking a special milestone this autumn: 40 years of walking alongside the community in Heath Town. Set up by the Sisters of the Infant Jesus, a Roman Catholic congregation of religious sisters in 1985, Hope began with simple acts of kindness. Door-knocking. Conversations. Friendship. That approach, rooted in […]

Wolverhampton to Host UK Recovery Walk 2025: A Celebration of Hope and Resilience 

This September, Wolverhampton will host the UK Recovery Walk 2025 for the first time. Taking place on Saturday 13 September, the walk will unite people in recovery, their families, and supporters from across the UK in a vibrant celebration of resilience, community and hope. The event will form part of National Recovery Month, a campaign […]

Shaping Domestic Abuse Support in Wolverhampton

Domestic abuse is one of the leading causes of homelessness. When home is no longer a safe place, people may be forced to leave with nowhere else to go. This can affect anyone, regardless of gender, sexuality or background. Families, individuals, children and older people can all be affected. The trauma of abuse is often […]