Overview
How it all started – the YMCA Movement
In 1844 George Williams (who with a group of friends who all worshipped at St Paul’s Cathedral) decided to create a Young Men’s Christian Association in order to support the growing number of young men arriving in London from elsewhere in the country, and who found themselves alone in London. The aim of the Association was to foster friendship, fellowship and bible studies. This was the beginning of the YMCA in England which today has over 140 YMCAs and each of these builds on a long history of providing a place for young people to find acceptance in community, housing and activities. Each YMCA is affiliated to YMCA England for standards, but is independently run, and responsible for funding itself.
Our own roots
South London YMCA was formed from the merger in 2005 of Croydon YMCA and the YMCA of Lambeth, Lewisham and Southwark. From our beginnings in Croydon in 1861, we have been working to improve the lives of socially excluded homeless young people. As a charity and registered social housing landlord, we provide a range of accommodation based services, including specialist hostels for young people leaving care, for women and children fleeing from domestic violence and a project for those recovering from alcohol and drug abuse which includes a floating support service.
