Midland Heart housing programmes in Birmingham

The Homeless Service Centre located at Midland Heart provides assistance to families that are in rent arrears and facing eviction as well as the homeless. All of the programmes provided by the charity are available from this main drop in centre, and there are almost 500 individuals per month that receive help.

The clients can learn about supportive housing available from Midlands Heart, such as those for ex-offenders and substance abusers. There is also emergency ccommodations in West Midlands for individuals that are currently homeless.

Additional assistance from the Homeless Service Centre is in the form of advice and help in applying for financial aid, including schemes for rent deposits or local housing allowance (LHA) benefits. All of this information is provided along with workshops on obtaining skills such as job training, advice on debt arrears, and employment needs. The team at Midland offers this so the client can get the help they need to maintain a home.

Support for homeless

The Midland Heart Out Reach team visits the homeless and rough sleepers on the streets of Birmingham. When they find someone that is currently homeless, the charity will provide them information on services available in West Midlands.

Some of the accommodations available include a scheme known as Housing First. This is for individuals that are sleeping rough. It will provide the client with a place to sleep for a few nights as well as a free hot meal. Another one of the programmes run by Midland Heart is the Accommodation Link Worker, and this scheme focuses on ex-offenders.

Many of these temporary accommodations are provided in partnership with other organisations across the West Midlands, such as St Basil’s Youth Hub. The charity also has signposting available to hostels located across West Midlands. Each one of these various charities offers their own support to the homeless so they coordinate the programmes among them in an effort to help the vulnerable.

Advice from Midland Heart Homeless Service Centre

This is provided in an effort to end the cycle of homelessness. There is free advice combined with long term financial aid from housing benefits and other government schemes. The key workers at Midland Hearts offer this support, and much more, even including budgeting workshops.

Anyone that is over the age of 21 can drop in at the centre. There are between 400 to 500 people who receive confidential help each month from the services. While not everyone will be placed into a home, all that drop in will at least be given information on programmes.

One of the main service is information on welfare benefits, including help in filling forms for them. Midland Heart is one of the local centres in which people can meet with a social worker to learn about how welfare can assist them during their time of need. While the grants are provided at the discretion of the council in Birmingham, there may be financial help for furniture, food, and even deposit costs from the local welfare scheme.

Midland Hearts Specialist Services is for those in housing need. What is includes in this is skills to help the family enter into and sustain a tenancy agreement. Some of the assistance includes for employment and job training. If a tenant is currently on rent arrears or other debt (such as credit card arrears) then free advice is provided for those unpaid bills as well. If there is a service that Midland Hearts does not provide, then signposting is provided.

The Money Advice from Midland Hearts is another service. The team will assess the applicant’s situation and then try to help them eliminate their debts or improve their budgeting. Each client’s individual circumstances will be assessed. While there is not direct financial ad provided for paying the bills, they can offer assistance through payments plans for unpaid bills and other solutions.

All housing and other financial matters can be assisted with from the Midlands Home Homeless Service Centre. The address of the main office is 44 Bradford Street, Digbeth, Birmingham, West Midlands B5 6HX, or call them at 0345 6020 540.