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Children in temporary accommodation are missing class(Image: PA)<\/p>\nThree charities have backed the M.E.N.’s campaign calling on Andy Burnham to implement a free bus pass for children in temporary homeless accommodationChildren in temporary accommodation are missing class(Image: PA)<\/p>\n
Three organisations on the frontline of fighting poverty and homelessness in Greater Manchester have backed the Manchester Evening News\u2019 campaign to give homeless children a free bus pass.<\/p>\n
The M.E.N. is calling on Andy Burnham<\/a> to implement a free bus pass for children placed in temporary homeless accommodation that is more than 30 minutes\u2019 walk from their school.<\/p>\n Homeless families are often placed miles away from home in temporary accommodation. They can only get free transport if they move more than two miles from home and there is no \u2018suitable school\u2019 nearer.<\/p>\n Please support our campaign here.<\/a><\/p>\n That presents parents a difficult choice: Fork out for buses they previously didn\u2019t need to pay for, or move their children to a different school, if places are available.<\/p>\n That\u2019s a choice the Manchester Evening News believes no parent should have to make, which is why we have launched a petition calling on the mayor for change.<\/p>\n Already, Salford<\/a> MP Rebecca Long-Bailey has come out in support \u2014 and three leading Greater Manchester non-profits have followed suit.<\/p>\n Wood Street Mission, Shared Health, and Resolve Poverty have all publicly stated their support for the move.<\/p>\n Oldham-based Shared Health<\/a> is an important organisation in the temporary accommodation world, as it is the co-secretariat of the all-party parliamentary group on the subject. Members include Greater Manchester MPs and government ministers, and has long called for the change.<\/p>\n \u201cShared Health is pleased to support this campaign to give children in temporary accommodation free bus passes across Greater Manchester,\u201d said its chief exec, Dr Laura Neilson. \u201cIt is a simple change that can make a huge difference, and something we should have implemented a long time ago.\u201d<\/p>\n Charity Wood Street Mission <\/a>has been fighting poverty in Manchester and Salford since 1869, from its base just off Deansgate<\/a> by providing families with basic items, school uniform, and even Christmas<\/a> presents.<\/p>\n Des Lynch, its CEO, explained why he\u2019s behind the campaign: \u201cThe Wood Street Mission team believe that the one true way to break the cycle of child poverty is by enabling all children to both access and to take a full part in their education. To make the most of the opportunity that education can offer.<\/p>\n \u201cFor those families residing in temporary accommodation, their lives can be filled with a myriad of daily challenges. One of which is ensuring that their children get to school each day, which may be many miles away from their allotted accommodation. Free travel to and from school would be one less challenge for those families to overcome.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is why Wood Street Mission is in full support of the M.E.N. campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n Resolve Poverty, a social enterprise based in Ardwick, has been fighting poverty in the north west since its inception in 2016.<\/p>\n Its boss, Graham Whitham, said the change will help those in a \u2018very precarious\u2019 position: \u201cFor homeless children living in temporary accommodation, life can feel very precarious \u2013 many don\u2019t know when they\u2019ll next have to move, or where to.<\/p>\n \u201cThese children are often moved a considerable distance from their school, causing struggles with the cost and logistics of getting there, and leaving some unable to get there at all.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving free bus passes to children who are moved more than 30 minutes from their school would make an enormous difference. It would remove the pressure on parents of having to find money for the bus, which can be very tough when navigating homelessness, while ensuring that children have a safe, reliable way to get to school, so that they don\u2019t miss out on crucial education and social experiences. We at Resolve Poverty fully support this campaign.\u201d<\/p>\n A mayoral spokesperson said previously: \u201cWe are doing a lot to make travel easier and more affordable for everyone in Greater Manchester, including children and young adults.<\/p>\n \u201cThat includes \u00a31 single bus fares, free travel for 16-18-year-olds, an extension of free travel for care leavers and, from next month, half price bus travel for 18 to 21-year-olds.<\/p>\n \u201cTransport for Greater Manchester is currently undertaking a broader review of concessions, considering all the requests for support that we get from a range of groups across the city-region, and the Mayor has asked them to ensure this is included.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Dr](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_men_270125_DrNeilson.jpg\")
Dr Laura Neilson, CEO of Oldham-based Shared Health Foundation(Image: Manchester Evening News )<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_Wood-street-Mission.jpg\")
(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/2_Graham.jpg\")
(Image: GMPA)<\/p>\n