| Activity | St Basil's Centre was founded in 1972 when the Rev. Les Milner opened the church hall at St Basil's church in Deritend, Birmingham, as a shelter for homeless young men in the West Midlands. In 1975, a similar shelter was opened as an emergency project for homeless young women. In 1978 the St Basil's Link was established to provide a site for counselling, and the following year a nursing home was opened for homeless young women and their babies. As the popularity of the service grew, further accommodation centres were opened in Birmingham, and in 1988 a new accommodation project was established to replace the original night shelter, which had been known as 'The Boot'. The accommodation project was called 'The New Boot'. St Basil's is now the largest regional agency working with young people to prevent homelessness by providing accommodation and support services |