We were delighted to attend the launch of the new Money House and MyBnk Midlands in Digbeth, Birmingham on January 10th.
The Berkeley Foundation has been working in close partnership with MyBnk since 2017, supporting the delivery of The Money House programme across London, and we’re really pleased to have funded its expansion into Birmingham in 2022-23. The new hub will help young people in the Midlands manage their money, and avoid homelessness.
The building was officially opened by Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, and a MyBnk Midlands Youth Ambassador. Our Berkeley Foundation Chairman and Chief Executive of Berkeley Group, Rob Perrins, also gave a speech.
We joined local delivery partners, other funders and young people to explore the building and to take part in activities, which gave us a real flavour of some of the programmes.
The MyBnk team is currently running The Money House homelessness prevention programme and independent living course Money Works for young people in the region. They will soon be offering a virtual version of The Money House and Money Twist for 16-18 year olds.
MyBnk’s aim is to become embedded into the youth offering across the region, with The Money House and Money Works courses running at full capacity and reaching more than 700 young adults a year, through over 1,000 hours of training and interaction.
The financial education sessions take place in a real flat, to give participants an authentic experience. St Joseph staff got involved last year with the refurbishment of the space, and did a terrific job!
Tackling homelessness and building positive money habits cannot be done alone; working in partnership is vital to solve these complex issues and drive systemic change.
To find out more about MyBnk’s work in Birmingham, please get in touch with Kim in the Foundation team.
Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands said:
“It’s great to be able to open this new West Midlands hub. Designing out homelessness is one of my key priorities as Mayor and supporting people to manage their money effectively plays an important part in that – building the knowledge and resilience to transition into independent living with confidence. This service is a wonderful addition to our region and I look forward to seeing the positive impact it has here in the months and years ahead.”
Sally McLachlan, Regional Partnership Manager, Midlands, said:
“We’re so excited to expand MyBnk’s work to the Midlands. This region has a high proportion of youth unemployment and young people leaving the care system, so the need for a project like this is clear. Our first sessions have received great feedback from participants, and we can’t wait to welcome more young people to our new site and bring our programmes to schools and youth organisations.”
Clare Maddison, Interim Head of Berkeley Foundation commented:
“We’ve supported The Money House since 2017, and are really pleased to see it now delivering much-needed financial education to young people in Birmingham. It’s a fantastic programme which has a real impact on young people’s lives, and we’re delighted to be funding it.”
The Money House Birmingham participants said:
“Overwhelming topics, such as debt, were simplified into something a lot less scary. I now feel much more comfortable with how to deal with them in the future. I enjoyed the feeling of comfort whilst you’re learning – it’s not a pressured environment or strict; you’re able to relax.”