St Giles Trust

St Giles Trust is a mid-sized, UK-based charity that works primarily with ex-offenders to help with training and equipping them for life beyond prison. The charity was founded in 1962[1] and the current chief executive is Rob Owen.[2]

St. Giles Trust works directly in prisons and in the greater community to help break the cycle of re-offending by providing a range of practical support services to both clients with convictions and those at risk of getting involved in the criminal justice system.

A key principle of St Giles Trust's work is using trained, reformed ex-offenders to provide services and support for other ex-offenders looking to change their lives. Around one third of St Giles Trust's workforce are ex-offenders.

Services provided

St Giles Trust provides services in the following areas:

Where it works

St Giles Trust's head offices are based in Camberwell, south London and the charity mainly works around the London area. However, it also provides services in Kent, East Anglia, prisons in the Thames Valley and in the South West.

History

St Giles Trust was originally established in February 1962 as The Camberwell Samaritans. Based in the crypt of St Giles' Church, Camberwell, it provided emergency relief and support for the large number of homeless men in the area - a prevailing feature of Camberwell due to a number of local hostels and shelters, including the infamous Camberwell Spike. Over the decades its work evolved to focus on providing support in a day centre located in its current head offices in Georgian House, Camberwell Church Street. In the late 1990s, it embarked on providing a housing casework service in HMP Wandsworth to help the large number of men leaving this prison only to become homeless. In the early 2000s, St Giles Trust re-positioned itself as an offender charity in response to the changing profile of clients using its services. It developed its prison and community-based work to other areas outside the capital.

Awards

St Giles Trust has won many awards in recognition of its work including The Charity Awards 2009 and 2007,[3] The Third Sector Excellence Awards 2007,[4] The Butler Trust Awards 2009,[5] The Justice Awards 2009, The Centre for Social Justice Awards 2009 and the Andy Ludlow Awards 2007. It has also been included in the Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For in 2009,[6] 2010[7] and 2011. In November 2014, Mona Morrison of St Giles Trust received the Highly Commended Longford Prize, in recognition of successful projects with youth gangs.

References

  1. ↑ St Giles Trust on Facebook
  2. ↑ St Giles Trust official website
  3. ↑ http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/charityawards/winners/2009/winners/social_care_and_welfare/content/9259/st_giles_trust_cafe_project
  4. ↑ http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/news/Article/732639/third-sector-excellence-awards-final-contenders/
  5. ↑ http://www.kentprobation.org/index.php?news=3
  6. ↑ http://www.b.co.uk/Lists/ListedCompanies.aspx?Survey=39&Size=73
  7. ↑ http://www.b.co.uk/Lists/ListedCompanies.aspx?Survey=49&Size=102

See also

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