Self–contained homes
Private accommodation within our setting in Moseley, suited to independent older living.
An almshouse charity since 1963
A quiet home, thoughtfully kept, for women of limited means in Birmingham.
For over sixty years, The Gracewell Foster Trust has offered sheltered almshouse accommodation to single ladies aged 55 and over with modest financial means. Our homes in Moseley are more than a roof: they are a community, carefully looked after by a small board of volunteer trustees.
Our mission
A dignified home for those who might otherwise struggle to find one.
Under the scheme that governs this charity, we provide almshouse accommodation for spinsters and widows of limited financial means and good character. In plain English: we let comfortable, affordable homes — in a well–kept setting in Moseley — to single ladies of modest means, over the age of 55, who are looking for security, independence and good neighbours.
Almshouses have been a feature of English life for almost a thousand years. What keeps them relevant today is exactly what makes them valuable: they are small, local, and run by trustees who know both the properties and the people who live in them. Our board meets regularly and receives no pay.
See our homes ›“The provision of almshouses for spinsters or widows of limited financial means and of good character.”
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— our charitable object, as set out in the Scheme of 11 April 1978 (as later amended), the governing document of The Gracewell Foster Trust.
£444,647
Income, year to 31 Jan 2025
£469,988
Expenditure on homes & care
6
Volunteer trustees
On time
Annual returns, five years running
What we offer
More than a tenancy.
Our residents are almshouse beneficiaries, not tenants in the commercial sense. In practice, this means a home they can rely on, at a contribution they can afford, with a trust that takes long–term responsibility for the building around them.
An affordable contribution
A weekly maintenance contribution set with fairness in mind — never to make profit from residents.
A well–kept setting
Buildings and gardens are maintained by the trust so residents can concentrate on living.
A small, caring board
Six volunteer trustees, governed by a 1978 scheme, with clear safeguarding and complaints procedures in place.