Birmingham’s Irish Community has always played an important role in helping the homeless. It’s an inspirational story that stretches right back to the arrival of Irish people to Brum, when a chronic lack of accommodation meant there was a need to provide help – leading volunteers to open a single room in Moat Row to support Irish immigrants.

The priests of St Anne's, along with many local volunteers, were instrumental in this important moment in the Second City’s history and today, the Digbeth parish remains at the centre of provision for rough sleepers, via Tabor House, which is based in the Birmingham Irish Association building.

Housing First, the region-wide scheme that follows many of the same principles championed by Tabor House, has made significant strides in reducing the number of rough sleepers.

Then, of course, there is SIFA Fireside, the charity founded by Irish nun Sister Sabina Staffs.

This month I wanted to tell you about a new winter campaign to help rough sleepers and those at risk of becoming homeless.

‘There’s a Better Way’ is the latest campaign for the alternative giving scheme, Change into Action, which is now in its fifth year.

It asks West Midlands residents to look out for people in their local areas who might be sleeping rough or at risk of homelessness so that they can be connected to local support services.

Rather than directly giving money to those begging on the street or at the road side, the campaign highlights alternative ways of helping so that people can get off the streets for good.

This includes a donation to Change Into Action (click here) and advice on how to seek support from street outreach teams as well as ways of spreading the word through social media.

The money raised by Change into Action is used in a variety of ways to make a change in the lives of people who need it. This includes providing accommodation, access to healthcare, clothing and training that could help secure a job.

The initiative is led by the WMCA Homelessness Taskforce, which I set up in partnership with Birmingham City Council in late 2017.

Over time it has grown to include the local councils in Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, and Walsall, with Wolverhampton having a similar scheme called Alternative Giving CIO.



Thanks to the generosity of residents and local business more than £220,000 has been raised across the region through Change into Action and Alternative Giving CIO, helping to change many people’s lives for the better.

By working together, the region has done a good job of helping society’s most vulnerable and reducing the number of rough sleepers on our streets. However, there is still so much more to be done, and we know winter is traditionally a very challenging time for those sleeping rough.

We know there is a huge number of people who want to help those less fortunate than us and make a difference, but often do not know how. This campaign looks to address this, and ultimately help improve people’s lives.

If you would like to get involved, donations can be made online at www.changeintoaction.org.uk

If you are concerned that someone may be sleeping rough then please report it through www.streetlink.org.uk

The notification will go directly to a street outreach team who will follow up with an offer of help. If you think the person is in immediate danger or needs urgent care, please call 999.



All of this is a long way from that single room in Moat Row all those years ago, when Irish volunteers first began to help the homeless. I know that, as we follow in their footsteps with this latest project, I can rely once again on the deep generosity of Birmingham’s Irish community to help the most vulnerable in our society.

Welcome to another Birmingham Irish Association news update

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