The new Foyer will be a three-storey complex that includes a 38-room apartment block, as well as teaching and studio facilities, training kitchen, meeting space, breakout space, laundry room, residents lounge, indoor and outdoor gym, and recreational space outside. The architects for the development are John McCalls architects.
The development will be located at the site of a former bakery and benefit from an attractive canal side location. It will replace the current Coops Foyer, which is sited on Chequers Street in the town.
Martin Wright, Your Housing Group’s Head of Supported Housing explained the importance of the move, “We’ve worked in partnership with Wigan Council for many years, providing support at Coops Foyer for young people who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness. Having the opportunity to move this service to a brand new, state-of-the-art facility near Wigan town centre is really exciting!”
“The new development will let us build on everything that we have achieved at Coops Foyer and take our service to the next level, for the benefit of our younger residents in the borough.”
Foyers provide quality accommodation with support in accessing learning, training and employment opportunities for young people aged between 16 and 25. Your Housing Group operate four Foyers across the North West which have received the highest level of Foyer Federation Accreditation, for the third year running.
Jacque Allen, Chief Executive of Your Housing Group added, “We are delighted to have received the support of Wigan Council to move forward with this new Foyer facility. We are all very proud of the work the teams do at the Foyer schemes, and this purpose-built design in a great location will support even more young residents in Wigan and help them to thrive.”
The current Coops Foyer has been supporting young residents in Wigan for over 30 years and has helped more than 850 people. It provides a place for young residents to thrive and find independence. Current residents at Coops recently said how living there ‘made me feel safe and able to grow into myself’.
Colette Dutton, director of children’s services at Wigan Council, said: “We couldn’t be prouder to support a scheme that will provide high-quality accommodation and support for young residents to thrive. The facilities, such as the teaching and studio facilities and training kitchen, will really help people to develop the right skills and experience to live their best life.
“This project has been an excellent example of partnership working and it has been great to see the plans coming together.”
Your Housing Group is one of the UK’s largest housing providers with over 29,000 homes across the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands. They are committed to creating more places for people to thrive at every stage of life to live in quality homes they can afford. They do this by seeking innovative and sustainable solutions, reinvesting in their existing properties, and building over 1,000 new homes each year, to play their part in tackling the UK’s housing crisis.
