Introducing - The Langley House Trust
Christians on the Left are proud to introduce The Langley House Trust as this year's Church service sponsors at The Labour Party Annual Conference in Liverpool.
The Langley House Trust was founded in 1958 by a group of Christian men and women who were passionate about changing the lives of men.
In December 1959 Terence Fenby was released from Durham Prison. He walked out, bought a cup of tea and a box of matches in a transport café, found a table near the window, drank his tea and carefully set light to the café curtains. The police were called and Terence stood, waiting patiently to be returned to the relative safety and security of life in incarceration. Nobody seemed to question why… since the 1950s Langley House Trust has been working with people with stories like Terence, those who have offended, or who are at risk of offending, to see broken lives transformed.
Our Mission
Langley is a Christ-centred organisation, working across the country with men and women of all faiths and of none.
We offer a range of services aimed at ex-offenders, prisoners and those who are at risk of offending, including accommodation; support for those trying to access employment specialist finance, benefit and debt advice both community-based and within 18 prisons; support to help people break free from gambling and other addictions, both within a custodial setting and in the community; and an accredited therapeutic programme within prisons, ‘Challenge to Change’. Whilst clients are in our care their re-offending rate is less than 3%.
The work we do is motivated by our belief that each person is created in the image of God and is worthy of respect and care. We believe that we each have the capacity to change if offered the right support. ‘Sam’ came to us in February 2020 and says, ‘Having somewhere to live has given me stability. Langley has sign-posted me to the right agencies, like mental health, drug and alcohol addiction team which has totally changed my mindset and made me realise it’s not about committing crime and going in and out of prison. Langley has supported me in many ways, but the accommodation has given me major stability… When I’m housed in permanent accommodation my plans are to go back to work and live a drug and crime-free life. Without Langley, I feel I would have still been struggling as I find it hard to ask for help.’
The accommodation Langley provides is varied including hostels and care homes; supported housing within the community - ranging from single occupancy flats to 5 bedroom shared homes; and Independent Approved Premises commissioned by Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service (HMPPS) serving the needs of prison leavers with a higher risk of re-offending who require monitoring as well as support; and our women’s service in partnership with Oxleas NHS Trust which offers women, who have experienced trauma and sometimes become institutionalised, a safe place with access to a range of health provision whilst they heal and reconnect with loved ones and with society. We can accommodate over 500 clients at any one time and last year impacted the lives of over 1450 clients.
We work with clients, like Sam, to understand their hopes and aspirations, planning with them to achieve a healthier, responsible life going forward. We are able to work with clients who have reached the end of the road with other accommodation providers, believing it is our Christ-centred approach that makes this possible. Each of our managers are practising Christians and our Chaplaincy Team offers them support in being the best leader they can be, both for their staff and for clients. Each of our services has a volunteer chaplain offering spiritual support to both clients and staff.
Langley House Trust is already well respected within the Criminal Justice sector, and our hope is to become better known and supported by Christians, across the country. Our new Church Engagement Team are working to build stronger links between the Christian community and the work of Langley House Trust so that even more lives and communities can be transformed.
So, how can you help? We are inviting Christians to:
• Pray - receive our quarterly Prayer Diary and commit to praying for the work of Langley House Trust
• Join - volunteer time to help at one of Langley’s services. There’s a variety of volunteer roles, ranging from gardening or administration to project chaplain
• Give - support us financially, as an individual, or as a church or organisation
You can find out more at www.langleyhousetrust.org/get-involved
Rev. Pen Maginn Head of Chaplaincy LANGLEY HOUSE TRUST
