Ex-homeless to be trained as support workers following £3.6m grant

The charity St Giles Trust will receive £3.6m from the National Lottery Community Fund to create seven ‘Peer Hubs’ across the UK.

The hubs which will train up to 6000 people with first-hand experiences of homelessness become professionally qualified support workers.

The network is based on St Giles Trust’s ethos that people with ‘lived experience’ of overcoming adversity are best placed help others to do the same and it is hoped the grant will help transform the way services for the most socially excluded are delivered by highlighting the impact of well trained, motivated staff who have lived experience of social exclusion themselves.

There are already three well-established Peer Hubs in Leeds, London and Cardiff, also supported by The National Lottery Community Fund. The Hubs work with local partner agencies, typically ones addressing issues such as homelessness, addiction and other social needs, who benefit from St Giles Trust Peer Advisors undertaking work placements with them as part of their training.

Rob Owen OBE, chief executive of St Giles Trust, said: ‘This award presents a real opportunity for disadvantaged communities and will impact many lives across the UK. People who face real barriers in overcoming challenges and stereotypes will be given the tools and training to create positive change.

‘This is at a time when public services are being cut to the bone and many of the most vulnerable are falling through the gaps. The Peer Hubs offer a smart, grassroots way of supporting people and communities and changing the way that services are delivered.’

Other projects offered by St Giles Trust include the SOS Project which offers intensive help to young people exposed to or at risk of violence, vulnerability and exploitation; and the Jubilee Project which offers mentoring support to young people at risk in Ipswich to prevent them from becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour.

Photo credit – St Giles Trust