Lifehouse gets glow up from King’s Trust young adults

Salvation Army helping shape young people’s lives with support of King’s Trust

A Salvation Army Lifehouse (hostel) has become the blank canvas for young people to shape and change their future thanks to a place secured on the King’s Trust programme. 

George Williams House in Fleetwood, a Lifehouse for homeless young people and families, which is run by The Salvation Army, had its garden chosen as the community project for the King’s Trust with a full refurbishment and upgrade thanks to a lick of paint, a grounds tidy up and a sack full of determination. 

The King’s Trust programme is a nationally recognised qualification run by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service featuring an intense 12-week course at Fleetwood Fire Station for young adults aged 16 to 25 who are not in education, employment or training (NEETs).

As part of the course, everyone is involved in a two-week long community project which took place at The Salvation Army’s supported accommodation, located on Bloomfield Road in Fleetwood. Daniel, 18, was one of the young adults who rolled up their sleeves to get involved. He said: “It was nice to be able to do something for others and be a part in making changes to a place that many people call home, making the space more friendly, useable and the kind of space people of all ages can enjoy at a period of time in their life that might be difficult for them.

“This opportunity also did something for me in ways I couldn’t imagine. From building my confidence to introducing me to new friendship circles and helping me realise my skills, it has been much more than just ‘something to do’ and it has opened some amazing doors for me. I now have a solid of opportunity of work with a job offered as a result and skills I can now take into the next stage of my life.”

Benches, bird feeders and flower beds were created over the two weeks as well as fences painted and the area tidied giving the families and young people that live at George Williams House, and get support from The Salvation Army, an outdoor space for all to benefit from. 

Danielle Jones, service manager at George Williams Lifehouse said: “We’re so grateful to Daniel and all the young people on the King’s Trust programme for choosing our garden as the community project which they wanted to support and redevelop. It is a safe space for many of our residents, which includes young people and families, and it is wonderful to see young people doing something special for other young people. 

“Homelessness and living in temporary accommodation can be incredibly tough and the impact that it can have on people’s mental health and wellbeing has a tremendous effect on where their path will lead. Everyone at George Williams House has been able to benefit from this incredibly kind gesture and it is a valuable route of training but informal enough to make young people feel comfortable and we were thrilled to have in some way been a part of that. This will not only provide a better future to the people on the scheme, but also to the people who live with us and now call this space their home.”

George Williams Lifehouse is operated by The Salvation Army and features six one-bedroom flats for young people and nine two-bedroom flats for families experiencing homelessness across Lancashire and Wyre. Here residents can live for up to two years and are assigned a specialist support worker on day one to help them in their journey towards independent living and permanent accommodation. 

The Salvation Army is one of the largest homelessness charities operating in the UK, providing nearly 3,000 places for people in Lifehouses (hostels) across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

For people looking to support The Salvation Army’s work at George Williams House and across Fleetwood, donations can be made by ringing 01253 878826 or by emailing Danielle.jones@salvationarmy.org.uk.