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About Us

Believing in your future

The Society of St James is Southampton’s largest homelessness charity, supporting over 1000 people at any one time. It was established in 1972 to provide accommodation and support to homeless people in the city, and now offers a range of services for vulnerable adults. The people that we support often have a diversity of complex issues, including homelessness, addictions, and mental health problems and therefore we have developed services to include supported housing for homeless people, drug services throughout Hampshire, Jamie’s Computers (our training and employment project), and a residential care home for older homeless people. 

At SSJ, we believe that everyone has a right to a home, and that people should be given the opportunity to develop the skills they need to lead a fulfilling life.

What We Do

SSJ now employs over 170 members of staff, and provides housing, support and training for over 3000 people each year. We have grown considerably in recent years, but at the heart of our work lies the same belief: that everyone is capable of changing their life for the better.

Whilst every individual is responsible for the decisions that they make, we understand that many vulnerable adults have a background of poverty, abuse and neglect, often resulting in feelings of low self-worth and poor decision-making skills. This can result in acting on impulse and not thinking through the consequences of their actions.

We believe that it is our responsibility to provide these people with opportunities to change, and to motivate and nurture such change. We don’t write people off – instead we offer as many new opportunities as they need, for as many times as they need them.

Old SSJ ShelterOur History

The story of SSJ began back in 1972, when the closure of a municipal lodging house in Southampton led to a crisis in homelessness on the streets of the city. Local churches opened a shelter in the derelict St James’ Church Hall, and the Society of St James was born.

The St James’ Shelter

In those early days, the shelter was fairly basic – each resident had just a bed, a chair alongside it, and a nail in the wall so that they could hang up their clothes. The volunteers would open the doors each evening, provide a simple meal for the residents, and then leave, locking the doors behind them until they returned the following morning to let the residents out.

Innovation

We have come a long way since then. Along the way, SSJ has pioneered a number of innovative projects, including:

  • The first ‘wet’ house in Southampton for homeless chronic heavy drinkers
  • Jamie’s Computers, our social enterprise providing work and training opportunities for socially excluded people
  • Avondale, our residential care home for older homeless people.