The free@last family

Our Mission

Our mission is to help Children & Young People to become positive, resilient, happy and successful young adults.

free@last equips children with skills and resources they need to overcome the challenges they face today by providing opportunities, experiences and the vision to see a better life.

Our community

free@last is a part of our community. We live in Nechells. Our purpose-built centre is based in the area, and we work directly with children, young adults, families and the wider community.

And, with every group we engage with, we can strengthen the resilience, mental health and determination of the community to work together and achieve change from within.

What does it mean to be a disadvantaged community?

Imagine the place you live. When you need food, you pop out to the supermarket. You take your children to after-school tennis lessons, or to play in the well-lit, safe and well-equipped park. When you get home from work, you can relax over a fresh cooked dinner or order in a takeaway.

There are no supermarkets in Nechells. We don’t have tennis clubs, places to learn musical instruments, or clean, maintained playgrounds. The poor air quality reduces life expectancy by 10 years. A supermarket won’t fix the problems. It’s just one example of the conveniences that make life just a little bit easier, that other places have and we lack.

The people who live here are already 10 steps behind and struggling just to reach the starting line. Already at a disadvantage, compared to the majority of the country.

How does a community become disadvantaged?

Neighbourhoods in Nechells are predominantly social housing – almost 70%. When social housing organisations judge the need of a family to be severe, they are placed in our community. This creates a high concentration of people in need in a single area. Even if someone moves out to a better area, they are replaced with another family in similar circumstances.

Ironically, areas chosen for social housing are generally those where councils provide the least amount of resources. No access to adult education, no support, no means to improve the lives of the residents. A true poverty trap.

free@last and a stronger community

To make a difference, we need to address the root causes. This requires a whole village approach – and yet the very agencies, sat outside of Nechells in various statutory and government organisations, are now contributing to the problem instead of providing solutions.

free@last has a team who live in the community and honestly understand the complexities of that community to effectively direct and distribute resources to where they are most needed.

We have outlined the key issues and changes needed in our Poverty Strategy. To understand this issue and how we are committed to building a stronger community, download the Poverty Strategy today.

Proverty Strategy

view booklet

Signs of our Authenticity

The values by which we hold ourselves accountable and show our authenticity.

• Absorbs Pain: Do we open our doors to invite pain and suffering in, providing a safe space for people to be comforted and helped?
• Proclaim Hope: When life is tough for our neighbours, are we providing hope that situations and life can change for the better, and dreams can be achieved?
• Point to God’s Authority: Are we living a life with purpose and holding ourselves accountable?
• Bring People Together: Providing a safe space to be together, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, skin colour, land or origin, culture, faith or belief.
• Spend Lavishly on the Poor: Even as our own resources are depleting, are we giving more to help those in need?
• Reflect God’s Character: Are we compassionate, gracious and courageous in our support, offering all the goodness in the world to the people we are here to serve?
• Protect the Vulnerable: Our aim, in all that we do, is to improve the lives of children and young people in Nechells. If we cannot see that our purpose is to protect the vulnerable in our neighbourhood, then we are failing.