2022 marked the 50th anniversary of Petrus supporting vulnerable people
Over the years, we have grown and adapted to meet the needs of some of the most vulnerable people living in our community. What has remained consistent throughout is our passion and commitment to empowering individuals.
“Thanks to the unwavering support of the people of Rochdale, Petrus has grown from a single project in 1972 run by 2 unpaid volunteers with a weekly budget of £30, to an organisation employing 72 people, providing housing to 200 people”.
- Chris Blackwell, Director of Petrus from 1999 to 2019
Petrus first began in 1972, when Rochdale Social Services reached out to Liverpool Petrus Community to provide staff to care for 20 men who were made homeless after a private lodging house in Rochdale closed. This was the start of Petrus Community.
Society started to realise that homelessness “Was more to do with the lack of sufficient affordable housing, rather than the inadequacies of the people themselves”. - Chris Blackwell, Director of Petrus from 1999 to 2019
While it can be said that support is more readily available to people who struggle or are at risk of homelessness, 50 years on there is still more work to do. Homelessness is a growing crisis across the UK. Temporary accommodation levels continue to grow with 99,270 households still in temporary accommodation at the end of September 2022 - including over 125,000 children. The statutory data also shows that 72,320 households in England were facing homelessness between July-September 2022. Rochdale, like many other towns, has a greater and more visible rough sleeper presence in its town centre.
In partnership with other agencies, Petrus works with rough sleepers and listens to what they need to support them off the streets.
Petrus continues to work with people who are at risk of homelessness to keep them off the streets and out of temporary accommodation.
So what are our plans for the next 50 years?
Petrus will continue to work across Greater Manchester, Rochdale, Oldham and Burnley.
We will provide accommodation and supported housing, day support services through our Hub and social prescribing activities at our community allotment – PIER
At Petrus we know the impact homelessness has on health and wellbeing, we will continue to provide health and wellbeing groups, women’s empowerment services, confidence building Project 5 and volunteering opportunities – just to name a few.
As partners in Greater Manchester Housing First pilot, we also provide a person-centred and trauma-informed approach to support in Bolton and Bury.
If you'd like to view some of our key milestones across our 50-year journey, watch the video below or visit: petrus.org.uk/our-history
Chris Blackwell was key to the early success of Petrus, helping lay foundations and build key partnerships across boroughs. In the video below, Chris shares more and the beginnings of Petrus.
Sonia Denham, Head of Petrus, said:
“With the cost of living rising, it’s harder than ever for people to heat their homes. And the bitterly cold weather makes keeping warm even harder for those sleeping outside. We hope that by continuing offering the services we offer including opening our Hub six days a week, the most vulnerable people living in our communities will have somewhere warm to go, where they can get a hot meal and access support.”
You can find out more detailed information mentioned in this article by visiting the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities who released two sets of statistics on homelessness in England: the rough sleeping snapshot for autumn 2022, and statutory homelessness data covering July-September 2022.