West Midlands

Dudley’s Poverty Summit #3

In April 2024, Dudley Council for Voluntary Service (Dudley CVS) and Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council (DMBC) will be joint hosting the third Poverty Summit. They have been running annually since 2022 and aim to bring together colleagues across the system working with people in poverty or those who are just about managing. The summit aims […]

Dudley’s Community Toothbrush Scheme

How can a toothbrush make a difference for people experiencing homelessness or poverty? You might not think that a toothbrush is a big deal, but for some people, it can make a significant difference to their health and well-being. That’s why Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council launched a community toothbrush scheme to help people who are […]

Partnership Project Brings Historic Building Back To Life

An innovative new project involving the Good Shepherd, Wolves Foundation and the City of Wolverhampton Council has opened its doors at the historic Queen’s Building in the City Centre.     The Central Community Shop, a flagship store among a network of community shops the council has pioneered across the city, will offer residents of Wolverhampton the […]

Crucial multi-agency work supporting rough sleepers in Coventry

credit: coventry.gov.uk We’re working closely with our partners to help rough sleepers. In Coventry we have a real multi-agency approach to helping people who face homelessness, whether that’s families potentially facing eviction from a property, or because of a breakdown in a relationship, or supporting rough sleepers with complex needs. We talked to some of […]

Christmas Cards that Count – St Basils at the German Market

By Barrie Hodge, Head of Fundraising and Communications at St Basils In the heart of Birmingham’s bustling business district, St Basils is transforming the St Philips Cathedral Christmas Market into a haven of hope this festive season. They’re thrilled to announce their return to the Christmas charity chalet, graciously offered by St Philips Cathedral from […]

Black Country Foodbank: Reverse Advent Calendar

Black Country Foodbank have launched their Reverse Advent Calendar full of ideas and items that can make a difference to people struggling with food poverty and the cost of living this winter.  What does “reverse advent calendar” mean? Most calendars comprised a series of doors or windows to open, revealing a picture, small chocolate or […]

Training offer: Understanding loss and grief in the homeless sector

  In September 2023 Birmingham Hospice and Crisis Skylight Birmingham partnered to pilot a new training programme “Understanding loss and grief in the homeless sector”.   The three-hour bereavement awareness training programme was co-designed with agencies who support those experiencing homelessness and is currently being run FREE of charge across Birmingham and Solihull.  Feedback from the […]

Tackling homelessness – it’s everybody’s business

The WMCA Homelessness Task Force have shared their thoughts about why homelessness is everybody’s business. Read to find out how you can ‘Find Help’ and ‘Give Help’ To a lesser or greater extent, the cost of living crisis is affecting most of us on a daily basis with the cost of essentials like food, rent, […]

Can You Help Feed Birmingham?

By Alice Rosenthal Communications Officer The Active Wellbeing Society There has been a welcome move in recent years to combat food waste, and to make sure any leftovers go to feed bellies, not bins. This is something we are fully behind at the Active Wellbeing Society, we use surplus food in our cafes and our […]