Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656

Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760

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Salvation Army's 'LifeHouses'

April 02 2010
Charity aims to get rid of the stigma associated with the word ‘hostel‘

The Salvation Army has decided to change the names of all its hostels in the UK to LifeHouses.

The move is designed to rid the services of the stigma associated with the word 'hostel', and to show the charity provides more than just a shelter. All 83 of the charity's hostels will be known as LifeHouses from now on.

Maff Potts, the Salvation Army's Director of Homelessness Services, said it was "a defining moment for the Salvation Army".

He explained: "The word 'hostel' was linked with old-style warehousing of people and didn't convey that there's more to our support services than simply housing."

The rebrand was organised entirely in-house, through consultation with Salvation Army staff and clients. According to the Salvation Army, the service also offers "programmes to improve service users' self-esteem, mental health and employment prospects", and the charity has joined forces with social enterprise organisation Goals UK to provide self-esteem training for clients in all LifeHouses.

Potts added: "LifeHouse clearly demonstrates that we are about providing purpose and relationships. We know that putting a roof over someone's head is useful, but not the solution."

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