Thrift Urban was formed by a group of committed people in 1997. Initially, our focus was solely on housing, helping people who, for whatever reason, have difficulties in life. Although our role has broadened since then, to better meet the needs of the people who have turned to us, housing-related concerns remain the core issue for us.

Our primary motivation was, and remains, the shortfall in the services provided by Local Authorities and other Agencies. The former simply are not in a position to provide individually tailored support; the latter either do not have the required expertise in housing-related matters, or are not focussed on the practical aspects.

We pride ourselves on helping individuals in need - with the emphasis on 'individuals'. Everything we do is tailored to the needs of the individual, to suit each person in the best way possible. Our particular focus is persons with special difficulties - the elderly and disabled and those with general mental health issues.

We are not a huge national or international charity - and nor do we aim to be. We understand that by remaining small and tightly focussed we can better help those we are here to help and so we only work within the London boroughs.

We are also aware that by remaining small and focussed we can continue to be very cost-effective. We have a number of volunteers, which means as much of the financial support we receive as possible is ploughed directly into our work, not soaked up by overheads and administrative costs. Supporting us means you're supporting those in need.

To help us ensure we are doing a good job we follow a methodical, questionnaire-based assessment procedure, asking people who come to us about their perceptions of the services we provide. This procedure tracks our work through all the stages of involvement with a referral - from the initial dealings to a follow-up after the problem has been solved.

Thrift Urban
Reg. Charity 1072534