:: Housing
Thanks to some very generous supporters, we now manage eight houses across Manchester. Seven are for destitute asylum seekers whose claims have been refused, and one is for refugees with Leave to Remain in the UK. Currently we are accommodating about 35 people in our houses from countries such as Ethiopia, DR Congo, Eritrea, Zimbabwe and Iran.
Most of our houses are loaned to us by generous supporters. The supporter retains ownership and allows Boaz to use the property free of charge. We then select the residents, furnish and maintain the properties, and pay the bills.
Two of our houses are owned by Green Pastures Housing, who have made a massive impact on homelessness in Southport. By encouraging supporters to invest in Green Pastures, we have been able to open our first Refugee House. This not only provides good accommodation to young men who would otherwise, at best, be in a hostel; it also provides Boaz with finance from Housing Benefit, which is used to offset the costs of our houses for the destitute. If you have money to invest, or savings in a bank or building society, why not consider putting it into Green Pastures, earmarked ‘for the use of the Boaz Trust‘? Your money is still attracting interest, and benefiting asylum seekers at the same time. Get in touch for more info.
Nigel Biggs, Housing Manager, does a fabulous job, not only looking after the buildings but also the residents. If you are interested in volunteering your time to help us to maintain the houses or support our clients please do get in touch!
