About Us

The Marylebone Project

Summary

The Marylebone Project is a partnership between Church Army and the Portman House Trust, focused on helping women in need to move on to independent living.

The Marylebone Project operates a 112-bed hostel for homeless women in Marylebone, London, which is the largest such women-only hostel in the UK. 4 of the beds are dedicated to emergency cases (maximum stay 3 nights) and 12 to a Mental Health Unit. The hostel is on two sites which are approximately 150 yards apart. There is a Day Centre for both residents and non-residents in one of the hostel buildings.

The hostel was originally opened in 1908, but was completely refurbished in 1996 to a high standard, and provides a high-support environment which is funded largely through Housing Benefit and Supporting People grants. However, donation and legacy income are needed to fund the Day Centre and to provide additional facilities and support beyond the levels funded by Supporting People.

Subject to sufficient finance being available, there is space within the existing buildings for further development of the work of the Project.

The women who come to the Project are of all faiths and none, and of many different nationalities and ethnicities. They are accepted regardless of their background so long as the Project has the capacity to help them. Further information is available on www.maryleboneproject.org.uk.

Vision

The vision of the project is:

1. To work holistically with homeless women to enable them to live life to the full
2. To empower women to address and move on from the experiences that have led to their homelessness
3. To provide shelter and support to assist women to maximise their access to benefits, employment opportunities, training and independent living skills
4. To empower staff to deliver a high quality service to our client group
5. To enable women to explore their faith and spirituality and to develop community throughout the project
6. To work with young people and families with a view to preventing future homelessness
7. To inform Christians and others to influence their attitudes and actions towards homeless women.

Ethos statement

"We believe that everyone is a Very Special Person in the eyes of God. Using the Christian principles of love, justice and hope, we aim to address the needs of homeless women in a holistic way and to set an example through our words and actions for others to follow. We seek to create a safe space with an aura of peace. Through community we aim to support, encourage, motivate and empower homeless women to regain self-confidence and to take control and responsibility for their lives."

 To learn more about how the Marylebone Project was founded CLICK HERE