Ethos

Mission statement

Offering a home, hope and a future to those homeless or vulnerably housed in Oxford and seeking employment.

Aims 

To provide core homes with support to enable those who have experienced homelessness to deal with the issues stopping them from gaining employment and living independently.

To provide move on homes for those who may never be able to live wholly independently. 

To offer on going support and time for those who have moved on from Edge Housing.

Objectives

To provide safe homes with support from a team experienced in mental health and addiction issues. 

To ensure the team and volunteers are trained and prepared for working alongside our residents.

To respond to the need of the homeless issues in Oxford and work alongside other organisations and city council offering support and resources to ensure the best joint help for each resident.

To offer an individualised approach to each resident taking into consideration all their needs from historic issues to current issues and coming alongside them to find out their hopes and dreams and support them to achieve the life they want. This is done through 1:1 work, group work, outings, goals setting and staff discussion.  

To grow the amount of houses both core and move on and keeping in line with our ethos.

To keep true to our Christian beliefs and values that each of us are made for a purpose and none of are beyond help.  

Caring for the Whole Person

Edge operates in line with the biblical principles that we are all created by God for a purpose and He has a plan and a purpose for each of our lives regardless of our past. We seek to offer practical help in an individual approach to each resident in the form of accommodation, sign posting, advice and contacts to help secure jobs and permanent accommodation alongside offering community and friendship. 

Unconditional support

We believe everyone has hope and a future and our aim is to come alongside and support, enable and encourage the residents to fulfil this. We believe our support does not finish when a resident moves out whether positively or due to a termination or abandonment and will always try our best to continue offering support even if Edge Housing is not suitable for the resident. 

Faith

All staff and volunteers are expected to operate according to the values expressed in this ethos statement we believe that vulnerable adults should neither be coerced in religious matters, nor excluded from the opportunities to explore the Christian faith that are available to others. We do this by sharing our stories and discussing their beliefs and invite them to come to a Church should they be interested. We believe no one is beyond being saved and entering into a relationship with Christ and gaining an understanding of His love and grace nor that it is our role to make judgement. We work towards replicating God’s love to the residents whether they accept Christ or not.

Edge Housing works within Oxford Community Church’s ethos which is available on request