New scheme to equip former homeless people with skills
23/09/07
Formerly homeless people are set to be given the chance to learn
skills to look after a house of their own, thanks to a pioneering
new scheme.
The scheme, being run by homeless charity Shelter and facility
company Ian Williams, will see about 12 people who have been
homeless taught essential house maintenance skills, like plumbing,
tiling and painting, as part of a 10-week course.
The course, which will take place at B&Q in Wednesbury on
Monday mornings, is designed to increase the confidence of
participants by giving them the skills to carry out basic repairs
and maintenance about the house.
It will be carried out on a rolling basis and if successful
could be spread to other parts of the country.
Employees from Ian Williams and experts from B&Q will teach
the skills. Successful participants will receive a certificate and
a B&Q toolkit to help them carry out future repairs.
Mitchell Allan, account manager at Ian Williams, said the
company was very pleased to be involved in the scheme.
He said: "As an official sponsor of Shelter, we are always
delighted to support projects which support homeless people. This
project is particularly special as we believe it is the first one
of its kind to take place in the country. We will be helping to
encourage people to take pride in their property by giving them the
skills they need."
Julian Garside, Shelter's area manager for the West Midlands,
said: "We have been working closely with Sandwell council to
address homelessness in the borough and we are delighted that
B&Q and Ian Williams are investing in helping formerly homeless
people in the area.
"The skills that people will learn at these workshops will
enable them to repair and improve their home, so it is somewhere
they can take pride in. It may also empower them with support and
confidence to go on and pursue other new areas of learning or
skills development."