About us
St Giles is a national charity and a global leader in using lived experience to drive meaningful social change. For over 60 years, we have worked with people impacted by poverty, violence & exploitation and the justice system to build a positive future.
We are the right people, in the right place, at the right time to ensure people can build their own pathway to a positive future. We do this because we believe we all should have the opportunity for a better tomorrow.
We are a national organisation, working across England and Wales, and with a turnover of around £17 million. As we deliver our ambitious five-year strategy, we are determined to continue growing our reach, our impact, and our ability to change lives through empathy, trust and opportunity.
We deliver life-changing services through three key pillars of work:
- Poverty: Tackling the root causes of poverty, providing both emergency relief and long-term support to help people move towards independence and employment.
- Violence & Exploitation: Supporting those affected by violence, abuse, and exploitation, and preventing future harm through credible, empathetic intervention.
- Justice System: Helping people in prison and in the community to break the cycle of disadvantage, rebuild their lives, and access positive opportunities.
Lived experience is in our DNA. Our approach trains and employs people with lived experience to deliver credible services alongside amplifying their voices to influence wider change. We pioneered this approach and continue to advocate for its adoption and mainstreaming across the wider sector.
It provides a framework and lens through which internal activities, policies and processes and external services are developed and identified. It ensures that we understand the people that we support, the issues that they face and what works to help.
Peer Power
In summer 2022, some of our staff and Peer Advisors collaborated with professional photographer Jeff Hubbard to create a series of images which described their journey with St Giles.
Alongside the images, some of the people featured have written down their stories.
They come from all areas of the UK and many different situations and circumstances. What they all have in common is lived experience of overcoming adversity which they now use – alongside their skills and professional training – to help others.
Our staff
We are a diverse team with a wide range of experiences and backgrounds.
40% of our staff have first hand experience of the issues currently facing the people they support. Some are former clients who have trained through our Peer Advisor Programme and use their past experiences to inspire and enable others.
We have teams with locally recruited staff established across the UK – in London, Eastern England, Wales, Yorkshire, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Leadership & board
Meet our leadership and board members.
Patrons
We are extremely grateful to those who kindly support St Giles through being our Patrons.