• SIFA Fireside was founded by Irish nun and teacher Sister Sabina Staff

• It now provides a range of services for people experiencing, at risk of, or in recovery from homelessness to help them rebuild their lives

• The exhibition draws on lived experience and includes first-hand messages from people supported by the charity. 

A new community display highlighting the human stories behind a Birmingham charity that has been helping people experiencing homelessness for more than four decades opened at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery on Monday 19 January.  

Drawing on lived experience, the exhibition features first-hand messages from people supported by SIFA Fireside, offering honest reflections on dignity, care and recovery.  

One client’s testimony reads: “When you found me rough sleeping on the canal, it showed me you cared and I felt seen,” while another shares: “You actually make me feel like a person, not another addict.”  

These voices sit alongside key moments from the charity’s history, from its beginnings on Birmingham’s streets in the 1980s to its work today.

Founded in 1983 by Irish nun, teacher and headteacher Sister Sabina Staff as The Fireside Charity, it later joined forces with alcohol recovery service SIFA to become SIFA Fireside.  

From its Digbeth Support Centre, the charity now brings together health care, housing advice, recovery services, creative workshops and peer support, helping people rebuild their lives and move towards independence.

Robb Sheppard, head of fundraising and communications at SIFA Fireside, said:  

“We are grateful to Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery for giving us this opportunity to tell the story of SIFA Fireside which began on the streets of Birmingham when our founder Sister Sabina saw people who were homeless and in need of food and wanted to provide them with a place of respite.

“The exhibition highlights the lived experiences of our clients and also acknowledges the many partners and supporters who continue to make our work possible, reinforcing a shared ambition for a future where every adult in Birmingham can live without homelessness, shaped by compassion, trust and long-term support.”

Andrea Bonnell, participation manager at Birmingham Museums Trust, said:

“We are proud to be working with SIFA Fireside to share their story at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery.

“This display builds on a long-standing relationship with the charity and gives space to highlight the vital work they do to support the people of our city.”

SIFA Fireside: Second City Support will be on display at Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery from Monday 19 January to Sunday 29 March.