Overview

St Giles Trust is a large charity helping people facing severe disadvantage to find jobs, homes and the right support they need. They help them to become positive contributors to local communities and the wider society.

They passionately believe everybody is capable of changing their lives. Their mission is to help clients achieve this through offering support from someone who has been there. They say their peer-led services form the backbone of their work.

They believe that people with first-hand experience of successfully overcoming issues such as an offending background, homelessness, addictions and gang involvement hold the key to positive change in others.  Being helped by someone who has ‘been there’ is highly powerful and this peer-led approach underpins all their services.
The SOS+ Team raise awareness of the dangers of weapons and equip young people with the knowledge and skills to stay safe.
They offer the following services:
Intensive, specialist help for young people affected by gang-related violence and exploitation. We also prevent young people at risk of becoming involved in gangs and violence.
Helping young people who are not in education, training and employment to improve their levels of confidence and skills, with the aim of supporting them to employment.
Help for adults in overcoming disadvantage to improve their skills, confidence and ultimately support them into employment.
Help for children and families and for people affected by poverty, debt and financial hardship.
Work in prisons to help serving prisoners successfully rehabilitate and pursue crime –free lives.
They also have a small number of services offering intensive, peer-led support to vulnerable adults in south London, including partnership work the St Thomas Hospital in Waterloo to help homeless patients.