Formerly known as East Kent Cyrenians, Porchlight is one of the foremost charities working across Kent to support vulnerable people and prevent homelessness.
Over the past ten years the charity has expanded its services from Canterbury to surrounding areas in East Kent, with services focussed in Canterbury, Dover, Thanet and Ashford. In the last year the charity has expanded its services to cover the whole of Kent.
The main focus of this expansion and influence for the re-brand was being awarded the contract by Kent Supporting People to run the Kent Outreach Service which helps people sleeping rough or in transient accommodation to access emergency accommodation and support where necessary.
Porchlight is forward thinking and provides a valuable and much needed service for many excluded and vulnerable people. After consultation with stakeholders it became apparent that a name change was required to reflect the charity’s evolution and growth.
Lisa Oeder, Development and Communications Manager, said, “Making the decision to change the name, Porchlight has remained true to its roots and has ensured that the new name and identity is relevant to our service users. Service users have been involved in the process from the start and consultation found that Porchlight was the name that they connected with most and one that could evolve with the growing projects and services of the charity.”
The new logo was also very carefully chosen after consulting with service users who found that even if they had difficulty with reading, the logo was easily identifiable to them as an organisation where they could go for help with housing related issues.
Porchlight is a forward thinking and innovative charity, passionate about helping people and communities. We help change lives by working to prevent homelessness, to help find accommodation for vulnerable people, prevent the breakdown of communities and to support independent living.
- – - ENDS- – -
Notes to the Editor:
1. Porchlight is a forward thinking and innovative charity, passionate about helping people and communities. Porchlight is a forward thinking and innovative charity, passionate about helping people and communities. We help change lives by working to prevent homelessness, to help find accommodation for vulnerable people, prevent the breakdown of communities and to support independent living. The charity was established in 1974 as Canterbury Cyrenians and works throughout Kent.
2. In 2007-8 Porchlight helped over 1,400 vulnerable people. Porchlight projects include:
Kent Outreach Service:
Our street outreach team work across Kent including working within prisons to help offenders who will be released from prison homeless.
Young Persons Services:
This includes a direct access hostel, longer stay hostel and shared house, providing support for a number years, until each individual is ready to live independently. Specialist support is also available from our Young Person’s Mental Health service.
Mental Health:
We run the only housing project in Kent specifically for people with enduring mental ill-health. We also have a young persons’ mental health service that enables young homeless people with mental health problems to better access the health services they need.
Supported Accommodation:
We have hostels in Canterbury, Dover, Ashford and Ramsgate. They range in the levels of support provided from high support needs with staff available 24hrs a day, to medium support with staff available on a 9-5pm basis.
Homelessness prevention:
This is a preventative ‘floating support’ service that provides support to vulnerable people in their own home who are at risk of becoming homeless. Many of these clients have been through the hostel system and are almost ready to live independently but just need a little support every now and again.
Building Skills:
We have a team that works with people accessing any of our services and helps them develop their skills and education. We provide tailored training and encourage people to get involved in the running and improvement of their project, or volunteer on a more formal level in the organisation. Porchlight is committed to involving our service users throughout all the activities of the charity. They are actively encouraged to become involved in education, employment, volunteering and service user involvement opportunities.
Community Support:
The aim of the project is to ensure that issues and concerns affecting the quality of life in the neighbourhoods are represented and tackled. We aim to achieve this through advocating on residents’ behalf to professional services and working directly in the community, ensuring practical support, advice and information is available. The project co-ordinates regular drop-in surgeries, resident group meetings, training and workshops.
For more information contact our media centre.
