After 19 years based at Manchester Cathedral the Booth Centre has moved.
On 31 March The Booth Centre opened a new Advice and Skills Centre at Edward Holt House, on Pimblett Street, just behind Victoria Station in Manchester. (This is the old Glentop House building which has been gutted and remodled).
The Booth Centre now have a large cafe space with a commercial training kitchen, where people who use the Centre will undertake work placements and gain catering skills while they cook free breakfasts and lunches for up to 80 people a day. The Centre has 3 advice rooms, where staff and visiting outreach workers can carry out assessments.
The activities room will be kitted out with a film projector, a lighting rig for drama performances and display space for art exhibitions and even has a 15 meterindoor bowls carpet. The IT/training room will be used for work skills, ESOL classes and training sessions.
The Centre also has a large garden with a basket ball hoop, badminton, table tennis and a bouls court. Over the next few months they will be constructing a green house and vegetable growing area and they already have hanging baskets and window boxes on the front of the building.
Their breakfast cafe opens between 9am and 10am Monday to Friday, where free porridge and beans on toast are served.
The advice service runs from 9am to 12noon. No referral is needed but it's very busy, so the earlier people arrive the better.
There are at least 2 activities for people to choose from each morning between 10am and 12noon followed by a free lunch.
The afternoons are dedicated to people doing work placements in gardening, building maintenance, warehouse skills, cleaning, reception duties or interpreting.
The Centre is operating as a wet centre, with people allowed to drink their own alcohol throughout the building, with support to help people stop or reduce their drinking when they are ready.
Dogs are also welcome.
Their NSNO Day Centre's project and EEA Homeless Prevention service are continuing, including being able to arrange and pay for reconnections within the UK and to EEA countries.