New community and family support centre opens in Stretford

An organisation dedicated to enabling families to flourish in Trafford has this week taken over the management of the former Salvation Army building on Brunswick Street in Stretford, and announced plans to use it as a Family and Community Resource Centre.

‘Rehoboth for Families’ will provide a number of resources in the building, including a job club, youth club and a parent support group.

The building will also be available for community hire at affordable rates and – as the cost-of-living crisis continues – they will continue to work with Stretford Public Hall and the Stretford Foodbank to provide energy and grocery support.

The year-long lease has been made possible thanks to £25,000 of funding from local housing association L&Q’s Foundation, which has supported the group with various funding projects since 2018.

Elizabeth Dotun, Director and Founder of Rehoboth for Families, said: “It’s difficult to put into words how I feel about Rehoboth taking over the management of the Salvation Army building in Stretford. It’s such a privilege, as I have been given the opportunity, I have desired, which is to do more in the area, where we are able to support more people holistically. It will also put our organisation on the road to becoming sustainable.

“When I started Rehoboth for families in Trafford in 2014, I never thought that getting a building a few years down the line was possible. I’ve reflected so much, and I’ve appreciated the power of believing, resilience, perseverance and coming across the right people who have helped translate what was only a dream into reality. L&Q has played a pivotal role in enabling this. Now that we have the building, we would like to bring back the community spirit that used to be on the Meadows estate by making it a family and community resource centre.”

Matt Bayliss, Head of Foundation at L&Q, said: “We are delighted to be able to support this vital initiative.  

It is the only community space on the Meadows Estate and is already providing support and advice to a large number of L&Q tenants and a sheltered residential home.

We look forward to supporting Elizabeth and the team in the weeks and months ahead to help make it an even more important community asset.”

For more information visit http://rehobothforfamilies.org.uk

Photo caption (L to R): Alex Neil, Community Development Manager at L&Q, Elizabeth Dotun, Director and Founder of Rehoboth for Families, Bethan Parker, Community Development Lead at L&Q, and Reina Opulenza, Administrator at Rehoboth for Families.