Plans for ‘The Orchard’, an innovative centre and project for people caught in homelessness, have been revealed by Emmaus Hull.

The plans, now ready for submission to Hull City Council’s planning department for approval, are for a building on Lockwood Street. The Orchard will provide a home for up to 30 ‘companions’ and also employment in a furniture restoration enterprise. 

To be built in partnership with Chevin Housing Association Ltd,  funding is being partly provided by the Homes and Communities Agency.  The target is to have the building finished and in operation by March 2015.

Richard, who currently has a home in Emmaus Leeds, explains the benefits of this sort of project: “This is not like living in a traditional homelessness hostel, none of the residents need to ‘sign on’.  You don’t struggle to get a job interview because of your past, you’re not seen as a criminal or addict,  Emmaus give you a job.  That can turn your life around.  I really think Hull deserves an Emmaus project.”

Submitting plans for this innovative project is another significant step in bringing an Emmaus project to Hull, a dream pursued by former council leader Patrick Doyle for more than 5 years.

“Today is important.  We’ve been talking about this a long time.  Today we’re on the cusp of achievement” says Patrick.

“This is not short-term, it’s about getting people turned around and on the way to self-sufficiency and independence.  People will be able to stay at the project as long as they like, because they will like it.  They will learn a range of skills within the enterprise like restoration and van driving.”

In keeping with Hull’s drive to become a greener city, ‘The Orchard’ will also demonstrate its commitment to reducing its environmental impact.  The residency and workshops will be built to high environmental standards.  The project also hopes to plant a real orchard of fruit trees, and to become partly self-sufficient by growing food for the table from its own allotment.

Emmaus has a fantastic reputation nationally for the work it does with formerly homeless people.  Offering its residents immediate work, and helping them to learn new skills, gives ‘companions’ hope and value.  This project is about more than giving someone a home, it’s about restoring lives.

Jerome Whittingham

The stained glass rattled, the medieval masonry trembled, and the pews of Hull’s Holy Trinity Church filled with 300 supporters for Gimme Shelter – a homelessness benefit.

The gig, the first rock concert of its kind to be hosted by the ancient venue, was the idea of The Black Delta Movement, Hull’s foremost psychedelic garage band.

Matt Burr, guitarist and frontman for the band, revealed to me how the idea came about.

“The band were traveling back from a gig last autumn, and we started chatting about how we might ‘give something back’ to the city and our followers. Some of the band have recently seen how homelessness affects families, so we hit on the idea of doing a homelessness benefit gig to raise awareness of the issue. We needed a venue, and thought we’d ask Holy Trinity, not knowing what the answer would be,” said Matt.

Revd Neal Barnes, vicar of Holy Trinity, takes up the story: “We at Holy Trinity were delighted to offer the ancient and magnificent building at the heart of the city for this really important cause. We see many people who are sleeping rough and who have no secure place to call home. The stories of how these people end up on the street are heart-rending. We hope the concert will bring the issues more into the open and encourage more people to help those who are sleeping rough.”

The evening was a great success, and delivered on its intentions to raise awareness about the issues around homelessness in the city, whilst entertaining visitors with some of the best indie music the region has to offer.

The Black Delta Movement were joined by 3 other bands, The Hillbilly Troupe, The Happy Endings, and This Resistance.

The gig was also a showcase for some of the city’s homelessness sector organisations, including Humber Region YMCA, Hull HARP (Homeless and Rootless Project), 1 in 4 (NHS mental health campaign), Restoration House Ministries, and Hull Street Angels.

This is the second time in recent weeks that Hull, and the Humber region, has made a bold statement of concern for local homeless people. The Humber Region YMCA Sleep Easy event, held overnight on Friday 1st February, saw 200 people sleeping rough for one night, raising over £20,000 to support various local homelessness charities.

The importance of events like Gimme Shelter and Sleep Easy cannot be overstated. Locally we’ve already seen rough sleeper numbers rise dramatically, and more families are falling into debt and poverty. Soon to be introduced ‘welfare reform’ measures will see even greater demand being put on local charities that work to support homeless people and those in poverty, especially young people at risk of homelessness.

Gimme Shelter at Holy Trinity was both a bold display of social action and a fantastic exhibition of musical talent. Its impact will reverberate around the city for months to come.

Jerome Whittingham