What we do

At Cambridge House, we work to tackle the impacts and root causes of poverty, social inequity and injustice experienced by those in our communities, providing people with the support, advice and opportunities they need to improve their lives.

From campaigning for safer conditions and security for renters to offering free expert legal services in housing, employment and benefits law, to the delivery of youth and disabled people’s empowerment projects or helping support the development of social policy and practice through our research and knowledge exchange; everything we do is focused on our core mission of transforming lives and transforming society.

Transforming lives

We support people with incomes below the poverty line, and those facing multiple barriers because of social injustice and inequity. We work in partnership with people, helping empower them to stabilise their lives during times of crisis and improve the quality of their lives in the longer term.

We do this through:

• Independent Advocacy – Ensuring people living with learning disabilities or mental and physical health conditions to have their views heard and their legal rights protected.
• Safer Renting– Specialist advice, support and advocacy for tenants of criminal landlords.
• Law Centre – Free, independent and expert legal and crisis mitigation services in housing, employment, discrimination and welfare benefits law.

• Youth Empowerment – Long-term, intensive and wrap-around services to improve the lives and build the resilience of 16 to 24 year olds who are experiencing isolation and exclusion.
• Disabled Peoples’ Empowerment Arts, life skills, social and wellbeing clubs for disabled children and adults and people living with learning disabilities.

Transforming Society

Our vision is of a society without poverty where all people are valued, treated equally and lead fulfilling and productive lives. To realise this vision we campaign for changes in policy and practice that will help dismantle structural barriers to people’s social, economic and cultural inclusion.

Through our Research and Knowledge Exchange we work with research organisations and multisector partners to generate and collate evidence of what delivery strategies are most effective at tackling poverty and social exclusion at a local level and establish opportunities for evidence sharing and knowledge exchange. We are founding members of Locality and the International Federation of Settlements.