Since 2004, The Hope Centre has provided practical support, guidance and hope to people across St Helens. The charity grew out of a church initiative created to support people facing unemployment, skills shortages and social deprivation. In our early years, we delivered training, advice and guidance to people furthest from the labour market, including through significant European Social Fund programmes.

In 2006, our work expanded to include the town’s soup kitchen, supporting people experiencing homelessness in the centre of St Helens. Over time, this service developed into Hope House, a project homelessness drop-in centre providing food, personal care, advice, advocacy and a safe, welcoming space for people who are homeless, vulnerably housed or at risk of homelessness.

As the needs of our community have changed, The Hope Centre has continued to grow and respond. Today, our work reaches far beyond our original training and homelessness services. We now run a range of projects that support people through crisis and help them move towards greater stability, dignity and independence.

Our projects include St Helens Foodbank, supporting individuals and families with emergency food; Hope Pantry, providing affordable food and choice for local residents; Baby Basics, offering essential items for families with newborn babies; Breathe, our mental health and wellbeing course; Digital Skills, helping people build confidence online; Crisis Café 110, offering a safe out-of-hours space for people experiencing emotional distress; and Restore St Helens, our furniture reuse and upcycling project supporting people to access affordable household items.

Although our services have grown, our heart remains the same: to bring life and hope to our community, to stand alongside people when they need support most, and to work in partnership with others to help change communities, one life at a time.