Child’s tooth fairy wish grants homes for homeless people

A brand new five-million-pound centre to help tackle homelessness in Ilford, East London, has opened its doors to help those in need of a roof over their heads.

Project Malachi is a joint venture funded to the tune of £5million by The Salvation Army and Redbridge Council. The building is made up of 42 self-contained flats, finished and decorated to provide safe and comfortable homes.

It has been named Malachi Place in recognition of Malachi Justin, a ten-year-old boy who became concerned about people sleeping rough in Ilford. When his first baby tooth fell out at the age of five-years-old, Malachi gave his £5 tooth fairy money to the local Salvation Army, along with a note asking them to spend it on helping homeless people. 

Five years later, this little boy's dream of a better future for rough sleepers is a reality with the opening of new pioneering homeless complex on Monday 24 February.

Starting with the tooth fairy money, a further £350,000 was raised from local fundraising and charitable trusts. The Salvation Army topped that up to £2.5 million in funding and running costs for the next five years. Redbridge Council provided the land free of charge and funded a further £2.5m to pay for construction. 

Now ten-years-old, Malachi Justin, said: “I can’t believe it has actually happened and we have built a home for the homeless!  I’m really happy that The Salvation Army used my money to do this.  No one should have to sleep on the streets.  Everyone should have a home. I’m still only ten but I know that homelessness is getting worse but this shows there is something we can all do to help.”

At least 15 people have died while being street homeless in Ilford over the past three years. All of these people were known to The Salvation Army and had used the existing night shelter based in The Salvation Army hall. Across the country, rough sleeping has increased by 165% in the last ten years.

Captain Dr John Clifton, The Salvation Army’s leader in Ilford, said: “Malachi’s donation and note really challenged us to do more for the people forced to sleep rough in Ilford. For many years we have offered emergency shelter to Ilford’s street community and while we could offer food and shelter we knew it wasn’t enough. 

“People end up sleeping rough for lots of complex reasons and it could be anything from job loss or poor health to addiction. Malachi gave us the focus to think about how we could build homes and provide support to get residents back to independent living. 

“It is our ambition to see it replicated in other parts of the country. If Malachi can start this from just £5, others can follow his path. We are also grateful to Redbridge Council who paid the construction costs.”

Leader of Redbridge Council, Councillor Jas Athwal, said: “It is fantastic that Malachi Place is now up and running – a ground breaking joint initiative to help tackle homelessness for those with no recourse to public funds. 

“It is so rewarding to see how an idea that we first put forward six years ago at a council committee has finally reached fruition. I’d like to say a big thank to you to everyone who has played a part in helping make this vision become a reality. There is absolutely no reason why people in modern society should be faced with the prospect of sleeping rough. That is why we will continue our efforts to eliminate rough sleeping in the London borough of Redbridge.”

Among the first residents moving into Malachi Place will be Frank Wrona, aged 40, a recovering addict originally from the north of England who has been sleeping rough on and off for three years.  Since taking control of his addictions, Frank has been desperate to find a place to live and get a permanent job.  Frank said: “I just want to get settled and move on with my life so getting a room at Malachi Place gets me one step closer to achieving that.”

Malachi Place will provide year-round accommodation and support for people who have been sleeping rough. The Salvation Army will provide specialist 24-hour on-site support for residents to help them deal with the many issues that led them to sleeping rough, like domestic violence, childhood trauma, relationship breakdown, as well as mental ill health.

The flats were fitted out off site and lifted into position by crane to create the four-storey building. Each flat has a bed/sitting room with its own cooking facilities and private toilet and shower.  There is also a bicycle workshop which will open in May where residents can learn skills to help them find a job.  

As well as the initial £5 from Malachi, The Salvation Army has received support for the project from a number of organisations and charitable trusts including Allchurches Trust. Allchurches Trust funded the fit-out and furnishings for the new homes, and also prepared personalised welcome hampers for every resident.

More information

Details of letter Malachi Justin wrote to The Salvation Army, aged 5:

“Dear Salvation Army – I pray you get money to buy houses for everybody.  I have £5 from the tooth fairy.  Please use it to buy a home.  I hope you have a good day.  God bless you, Love Malachi.”

About The Salvation Army in Ilford:

The Salvation Army has been present in Ilford for 134 years.  The church and charity has run a night shelter every winter since December 2011 (and all year round for the past 18 months) to support people sleeping rough into better situations.  Recycles, Ilford Salvation Army’s bike refurbishment social enterprise, supporting people into training and employment was established in 2013 from the church hall and will move into a purpose built space in Malachi Place. 

The Salvation Army is urging the Government to:

• Publish its promised update of the Rough Sleeping Strategy, including a clear plan of how it plans to meet its ambitious target of ending rough sleeping by the end of the current Parliament.
• To prevent people from becoming homelessness in the first place, the Government must increase the value of local housing allowance rates to ensure that they cover the costs of at least three in ten of the most affordable properties in any given area.
• Make further investment in supported housing, which offers more than just food and shelter for homeless people, but helps them deal with the complex reasons that led to their sleeping on the streets in the first place.

About Redbridge Council’s homelessness strategy:

• The Redbridge Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy 2018-2023 sets out broader plans to tackle the issues for those living in temporary accommodation and to prevent homelessness occurring.
• Welfare changes, historic underbuilding of affordable housing and the ongoing housing crisis means that thousands of Redbridge residents find themselves homeless without a permanent roof over their heads.
• To overcome the severe shortage of affordable housing, Redbridge Council is investing £103.3m to deliver new council homes, as well as £70m to buy 300 homes so that the council does not rely on privately rented accommodation. This is in addition to millions Redbridge Council has spent on temporary accommodation locally, which means that more families can now stay local to their work, schools and networks, if they find themselves homeless.

About The Salvation Army’s homelessness work:

The Salvation Army’s work with people who are homeless goes back to its very beginnings – in January 1888 it opened its first homeless centre in Limehouse, London offering affordable food and a bed for the night. Today the church and charity doesn’t just give people experiencing homelessness food and shelter – we help them rebuild their lives by offering personalised support like training in basic life skills, addictions help, housing advice, and a listening ear. It is one of the largest homelessness charities operating in the UK, caring for more than 3,000 people in supported housing across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.