Wesleyan Foundation Helps ShowerBox to Support Birmingham's Homeless Community

Community & Citizenship Manager, Jacob Ayre, recently met with ShowerBox at St Phillips Cathedral which is close to Wesleyan’s Birmingham head office. Wesleyan Foundation donated almost ￡9,000 to deliver support sessions on the site.

ShowerBox provides portable showering facilities and signposting advice for people experiencing homelessness. Their mission is twofold; firstly, to provide homeless guests with a chance to maintain a sense of dignity and health, through the access of showering and secondly providing community engagement that can serve as a bridge to accessing other services.

“Working so close to where ShowerBox now operates, I am fortunate to see what a difference it is making to the homeless community in Birmingham on a weekly basis. The health of our community is something we strive to improve through the Wesleyan Foundation’s work, and ShowerBox is an excellent example of this, as they provide vital facilities, advice and support.” - Jacob Ayre, Community & Citizenship Manager at Wesleyan.

ShowerBox started in London, and Birmingham homelessness agencies identified that a similar service was also needed here. ShowerBox has been working in partnership with St Phillips Cathedral, Let’s Feed Brum, Incredible Surplus, Birmingham City Mission, and Crossroads, and has been working on site on Tuesdays since March 2024. Let’s Feed Brum, also attend on Tuesdays so the homeless community can access food and a shower on the same day. ShowerBox also can provide fresh clothes and haircutting facilities for guests using their services. Volunteers are also trained to understand local services so they can signpost people to the services they need.?

?Since March, 1200 people have used ShowerBox services, with individuals commenting ‘I feel human again’, and others plan to use the service before job interviews.

“Our experience of the last six years has taught us that our services have three major benefits: most immediately, they provide hygiene and dignity to our guests, with vital health benefits helping to prevent infections; second, they provide a sense of engagement and community and finally, and importantly, they serve as a bridge to accessing other complimentary services. We are so grateful for the support from Wesleyan Foundation’s community grant which has enabled us to deliver a much-needed service in Birmingham City Centre.” - Sarah Lamptey MBE , founder of ShowerBox