Reprieve for West Midlands bus station community hubs

Service users and staff alike at the Let's Chat hub in West Bromwich had feared for its future

Three community hubs supporting homeless and lonely people will remain open thanks to new funding.

Users of the Let's Chat hub at West Bromwich bus station had feared the worst after funding from Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) came to an end.

But West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) said the centre, along with those in Coventry and Walsall, would stay open until at least March 2024.

The bus station hubs have been credited with supporting people's mental health.

West Bromwich staff said last month that since launching under a pilot scheme in February, the project had found more than 10 homeless people a place to live.

WMCA said it had committed further funds from its TfWM budget, plus its health and communities programme, to sustain the hubs over the coming months.

A longer-term fund, it added, had also been identified and a bid would be prepared by providers to further secure the hubs' future.

Councillor Izzi Seccombe, WMCA's portfolio lead for wellbeing, and the leader of Warwickshire County Council, said the hubs had been a "huge success".

She said: "These community hubs have played a positive role in supporting people's mental health and wellbeing and we look forward to them continuing to be a vibrant part of our bus stations."

Kevin Muldowney, who has used the Let's Chat hub at Walsall Bus Station, said: "This is an essential service for people in the Walsall area, it has helped a lot of people with their problems and I have found it really useful to be able to sit and talk with likeminded people."

Dudley Bus Station is set to be redeveloped as a new Metro interchange, meaning the Let's Chat hub there has closed. Meanwhile, the hub at Bilston will continue to be available on Mondays only.