Feature: W12 pop up shop for vulnerable

We are, most of us, only one pay cheque away from a crisis. How would you pay the rent, or the mortgage, if you lost your job tomorrow? Recessions create personal tragedies every day, most of whom we never hear about. House repossessions, homelessness and the mental health issues that come with all of that will rise over the coming years. Behind each closed shop front is a personal story that affects many. Those are the very sad facts that none of us can now do much about.

Which is why a pop up shop opening its doors in the W12 Centre, which offers a hope of self-betterment and a route back into mainstream life is such good news.

Petit Miracle Interiors is a registered charity that was founded in 2008. They are providers of accredited interior design training, DIY workshops and upcycling courses to people who have experienced homelessness, the long term unemployed and vulnerable women. One of their students is interviewed in the video above.

They describe their aim as encouraging participants to explore and understand the process of interior design, develop their own DIY skills and use upcycling as a vehicle to improve their living environment, to build confidence, to reduce social exclusion and provide opportunities for further training and employment.

Long term they try to reduce homelessness by providing Interior Design consultation to newly housed people; successful students who have completed their training with PMI will offer Interior Design consultation to people who have recently moved off of the street and into a new home. This approach provides a work experience opportunity for students and a stronghold to improve the likelihood of a sustained tenancy for newly housed people.

So when you're next down that way, pop in and say hi.Their website is here and a facebook page can be found here. Their founder, Elisicia Moore, explains a bit more about the service in the short film below. Best of luck to them, they're a very welcome addition to the Bush.