Latest News & Events

We have launched a range of new services for our customers, which will bring our staff out to you and your neighbourhood.  We will be holding regular surgeries and have set up a number of contact points in your area.

Click here to download a list of all the surgeries in your area.

From Monday 20 October, St Vincent's will be relocating staff from its three offices in Stretford, Bolton and Rochdale to one central office. 

Our new contact details will be:-

Frist Floor, Metropolitan House, 20 Brindley Road, Manchester, M16 9HQ

Tel: 0161 772 2120 and Fax: 0161 772 2121

For more details about the move, and our new working arrangements, log on to the Forum, on this site and leave your comments.

Welcome to our new website - we hope you like it.

The new site has been designed and built specifically to make navigation much easier, so all the information you need is at your fingertips.

The site was built following consultation with our customers.  We asked residents what they wanted and how they would use the site, and their comments were influencial in the overall design.

On Friday 20 June the St Vincent’s Manchester Foyer celebrated 10 years of providing support and accommodation to young people in Manchester. 

From the start, the Foyer has set out to

• reduce homelessness for young people in Manchester. In the last 12 months 19% of new residents to the Foyer were classified as homeless, with a further 4% ‘sofa-surfing’. The remainder came from a turbulent background and required specialist support
• provide access to meaningful education, training and work experiences. At January 2008, 98% of the residents were engaged in full-time education or training. The other 2% were engaged in non-formal education (The Princes Trust, and Fairbridge). This engagement figure will increase to 100% going into September 2008 as all residents living and staying at the project have been accepted into or are continuing on college courses already started.
• Last year, 8 residents successfully gained a university place and are still currently there studying. Already during 2008, 12 more residents have been offered university places for this coming academic year. All, originally, were either street homeless, ‘sofa surfing’ or living in an unhappy or unsafe home environment. 
• Provide access to life-skills.

The Foyer’s aim is to address the ‘no home, no training, no work, no prospects’ cycle that young people can find themselves in. Without the stability of a secure home environment, young people can struggle to even know where they fit in to society and what path they want to take. Overall almost 250 young people have passed through the doors of the Foyer since it opened in June 1998. They all embarked on some form of educational programme. The Foyer provides a calm and stable environment, which encourages the residents to remain for the duration and put down roots. 

Residents and staff celebrated the 10th Anniversary by opening their doors to friends, old and new, and the community. 

Activities included:-

• The unveiling of four wonderful commemorative glass panels (see picture attached). The panels were designed and created specifically for the celebration by residents. The panels will be unveiled by former Manchester Foyer resident, Ian Saul, who is now a senior executive for Rail Track.
• An exhibition of artwork created by the Foyer Art Workshop
• The launch of a book of memories compiled by the Foyer residents over the last 10 years
• Viewing of two Apartments which were given a ‘Changing Rooms’ makeover (thanks to Dulux Decorator Centres)
• Lots of workshops, for example Indian head massage and drumming· 

The residents conducted personal tours for guests around the Foyer.

St Vincent's relies on the tallents of a number of local people to help with its many social investment projects across the North West.

If you think you may be able to offer some of your skills, expterise and time, take a look at the case study below, it may encourage you to give us acall.

Silver Surfing

When Sandra Martin first came to Thomas Garnet Court in February 2006,to talk about volunteering, she wasn’t really sure if she had the confidence to help people to learn about computers.

She had previously worked for Cohens Chemists, but had been unemployed for some time, and felt that she had lost touch with the working world. It was the Job centre that suggested volunteering. So she enquired at Bolton Volunteer Bureau, who referred her to St Vincent’s. Since then, she has never turned back. She started volunteering as an IT Mentor at Thomas Garnet and Vincent Court, assisting our elderly tenants every week, who wanted to find out more about computers.

“I really look forward to getting together with them, and showing them new things. It’s the little things that make a big difference”.

As with Alice, who is 90, wanted to email her niece in Canada, so Sandra set up a hotmail address for her and suggested that she put her new email address in a Christmas card. Alice was delighted when she received her first email with a slide show of photos all set to music. Sandra downloaded it onto a DVD so that Alice can watch it whenever she likes on her own TV.

Alice says, “ It has given me such pleasure and Sandra is so patient, I am not that good with the computer but she helps me check my emails and it’s wonderful to hear from
my relatives in Canada.”

Thomas Garnet tenants now have a computer club with 10 people coming regularly to Sandra’s sessions. Jean has been writing a newsletter for the tenants for years, using an old type writer, cutting and pasting and photocopying. Now, with Sandra’s help, she produces it on the computer. Jean says “Life is so much easier now, it’s not just the newsletters, we produce invitations and posters all on the computer. Nobody had a clue, but Sandra gradually coached us, even showing us how we can print bingo tickets in large print. This has enabled 2 tenants who couldn’t play bingo before, to take part.”

We asked Sandra what she would say to anyone considering volunteering. She said “go for it, it is such a pleasurable experience, even if it’s just for the social aspect, I would hate to have to give it up”.

Is volunteering for you? If so, or for further information, call Julia on 0161 865 6565.