Birmingham YMCA has been awarded £1.5million from the Housing Minister Caroline Flint as she outlined her plans for the government’s Places of Change Programme (PCP).

The ambitious funding bid, submitted and fully supported by Birmingham City Council on behalf of Birmingham YMCA, was one of just 69 successful bids across the country selected from hundreds of applications. The £1.5million will be used to build a new community facility that will be located at the YMCA site on Reservoir Rd in Erdington, North Birmingham.

Described by the government as “eye-catching” and “innovative”, the new community centre will house facilities including a music studio, gym, meeting rooms and “chill-out” space for young people. Uniquely, these facilities will be open to the whole community but they have been designed to create a platform for YMCA residents to integrate themselves productively into society through voluntary activity and paid work at the project. 

The new community facility is part of a proposed £12million redevelopment of the entire Reservoir Road site being carried out in partnership with Erdington-based Mercian Housing Association.  It will also include 83 self contained flats, housed within developed gardens and a communal orangery – which will also maintained by residents.

Peter Jones, Head of Investment for the West Midlands at the Housing Corporation said, "The Housing Corporation is keen to support this iconic development of 83 new homes alongside the new community facility. These homes will meet our regional priority for reducing the level of statutory homeless people within the region.

"The scheme will meet the joint objectives for both the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme and the Place for Change Programme by tackling homelessness and contributing to sustainable communities. We will be assessing the bid for the new development within the next round for funding in April 2008."

Birmingham YMCA Chief Executive, Alan Fraser, said, “Only a few weeks ago this whole project felt like a pipe-dream.  Now, thanks to the support of Birmingham City Council and the backing of our partners at Mercian Housing Association, we’re absolutely delighted to have been awarded the £1.5million for our new community facility.

"It’s a fantastic project designed to really tackle the problems of formerly homeless people by getting them to engage in social enterprise initiatives and productive activity that benefits the whole community.”

Mercian Chief Executive, Laurice Ponting, said "We are very excited to be a key partner of Birmingham YMCA in this ground-breaking venture.  This scheme represents a very significant commitment for Mercian in both strategic and financial terms.  For the housing element of the scheme we are hoping to secure some government funding but would also be raising a substantial amount of private finance ourselves. So we’re delighted that the City Council has been successful in their bid on behalf of the YMCA to fund what will be a state-of-the-art centre for the whole community.”

Speaking at a Housing Corporation stakeholder event Housing Minister Caroline Flint said, "Over the past three years, the Places of Change Programme has helped transform derelict dormitories into places which genuinely transform the lives of homeless people and helping people rebuild their lives through training, volunteering and working.

"The number of formerly homeless people moving into independent living is up by thirty per cent as a result. We will now be measuring success through the numbers moving into training and work."

The proposed development has been designed to meet the government's Code for Sustainable Homes Level 4 - the highest level a project of this description has achieved in Birmingham, ensuring that it minimizes the impact on the environment.