Offsite contractor, M-AR, is working in partnership with the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint, to create new, bespoke single occupancy homes for young people experiencing homelessness in the London Borough of Southwark.
The project is part of the charity’s bold new Independent Living Programme to pair over 300 young people with a job and a home across London and Manchester within the next three years. This will tackle head-on the shortage of quality affordable accommodation, free up hostel beds Centrepoint currently provides for those in dire need, and give young people a real future of independence.
Centrepoint currently provides housing and support for over 14,000 homeless young people every year in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and the North East.
This Southwark development with M-AR is the beginning of a five-year build for Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme. It marks the first time the charity has built brand-new accommodation as it has previously relied on refurbished accommodation.
M-AR is currently manufacturing 33 homes in its factory for Centrepoint, with the whole turnkey delivered project due to complete on site by late April 2022. Each 21m2 home has a small yet functional kitchen, dining area and a bathroom as well as space to sleep and relax, making the units a comfortable home for young people to live independently. The homes will be delivered to site fully fitted with the kitchen and bathroom, with all electrics and plumbing installed as well as being fully decorated throughout, enabling Centrepoint to start using the homes much quicker than with a traditional build, as offsite construction offers greater programme efficiency.
Ryan Geldard, Operations Director at M-AR commented: “It’s a privilege for us to be able to do our bit to help Centrepoint in its mission to end youth homelessness by delivering these new safe and secure independent living homes. We’re working on a turnkey basis on this project so we’re taking care of every aspect of the build programme to make the whole process as smooth as possible for Centrepoint. We can’t wait to see how the units look once they’re on site and ready to become homes.”
Sally Orlopp, Director of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme, said: “The new homes that M-AR has delivered for are everything we could have hoped for. These comfortable, stylish, efficient and cost effective homes tackle head-on the shortage of quality affordable accommodation, free up much-needed hostel beds, and offer our young people a real step towards independence. It has been a real privilege to work with such an excellent building partner.”
M-AR has also named Centrepoint its Charity of the Year for 2022, meaning that the company will be supporting the charity over the course of the next 12 months through various fundraising activities, kick-started by a donation organised by the directors. M-AR will also be raising awareness of Centrepoint’s work and getting its supply chain involved in fundraising for the charity.
Header image from left to right: Sally Orlopp, Director of Centrepoint’s Independent Living Programme, Katelin (currently living in one of Centrepoint’s independent living programme homes in east London) and Martin Burge, Construction Director at M-AR.
