The Set Me Free Trust
Charity 326743
Overview
Summary
The Set Me Free Trust appears to combine a Christian mission with a broad social-support mandate focused on people experiencing acute exclusion. Its stated role is not limited to direct relief: the available evidence suggests it may operate as a support and enabling body for other voluntary organisations as well as delivering services, advice and resources. This creates the profile of a faith-rooted organisation positioned between frontline need, community development and organisational capacity-building.
Operational geography
Coverage: Regional
Operational areas:
Evidence and reasoning
Supporting evidence
Remaining uncertainties
- The Charity Commission currently records Birmingham City as one of the charity's operational areas, providing direct evidence of activity somewhere in Birmingham, but does not identify any ward, recognised place, service venue, delivery model or Birmingham-based partner.
- No supplied or publicly available authoritative evidence located identifies a physical operational site in Birmingham. The registered office is in Wombourne, Wolverhampton and should not be treated as a Birmingham site.
- The Charity Commission records that the charity does not own or lease land or property; this reduces confidence that it operates a dedicated site, but does not rule out delivery through partner, hired or informal venues.
- There is no current evidence sufficient to classify the Birmingham activity as neighbourhood-based, district-wide or citywide in operational practice. Birmingham City is a declared operating area, not evidence of delivery across all Birmingham wards.
- No material current partnerships extending the charity's Birmingham reach were identified in the authoritative sources consulted.
Additional evidence needed
- A current annual report, activity report or grant schedule identifying the organisations, projects or beneficiaries supported in Birmingham.
- Official information from the charity identifying Birmingham service locations, delivery venues, referral arrangements or partner organisations.
- Confirmation from the charity of whether Birmingham activity is delivered directly, through grants to other organisations, or through partner venues, and the wards in which this occurs.
Areas of work
- Accommodation/housing
- Economic/community Development/employment
- Education/training
- Religious Activities
- The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty
Who they help
- Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies
- Other Defined Groups
How they help
- Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body
- Makes Grants To Organisations
- Provides Advocacy/advice/information
- Provides Other Finance
- Provides Services
- Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
Discoveries involving this organisation
The Atlas has not published any Discoveries involving this organisation yet.
Observations
Faith appears to be integral rather than incidental
The Trust’s Christian purpose appears to sit alongside, and potentially shape, its work addressing poverty, hardship and distress. This may indicate a model in which practical support and religious activity are connected rather than separate programmes.
Why it matters
Understanding this connection is important for identifying the Trust’s likely values, networks and potential partnerships, including whether its faith identity is central to how services are designed and accessed.
Show evidence
“To provide for the advancement of Christianity in accordance with the statement of doctrines.”
Source:Charity Commission“Religious Activities.”
Source:Charity Commission
The Trust may be an intermediary as well as a provider
The combination of grants, other finance, research and umbrella/resource-body functions suggests the Trust may strengthen the work of other organisations, not only support people directly.
Why it matters
This changes how its local role should be understood: its influence may extend beyond its own services through funding, knowledge-sharing or capacity-building relationships with voluntary bodies.
Show evidence
“Other Charities Or Voluntary Bodies.”
Source:Charity Commission“Makes Grants To Organisations, Provides Other Finance, Sponsors Or Undertakes Research, Acts As An Umbrella Or Resource Body.”
Source:Charity Commission
Its remit spans multiple forms of exclusion
The Trust appears to recognise hardship as connected to housing, health, addiction, ageing, offending history and economic participation, rather than treating poverty as a single issue.
Why it matters
This suggests potential complementarity with specialist organisations. It may also mean the Trust is well placed to notice where people fall between housing, recovery, welfare and employment systems.
Show evidence
“Ex-offenders, drug addicts, alcoholics, the aged, the homeless, the sick and the dependents of such persons.”
Source:Charity Commission“Education/training, The Prevention Or Relief Of Poverty, Accommodation/housing, Economic/community Development/employment.”
Source:Charity Commission
- Whether the Trust directly supports individuals, primarily supports other organisations, or uses both approaches.
- Which communities, places and beneficiary groups receive its current support.
- How its Christian doctrine affects eligibility, partnerships or service delivery.
Remaining uncertainties
- Recent annual reports, accounts and grant lists showing current programmes, expenditure and partners.
- Service descriptions, outcome data and beneficiary feedback showing how support is delivered in practice.
Additional evidence needed
Charity Commission profile
Activities
RELIEF OF POVERTY AND THOSE IN NEED FROM DISADVANTAGED POSITIONS
Charity objects
(A) TO PROVIDE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF CHRISTIANITY IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE STATEMENT OF DOCTRINES HEREINAFTER CONTAINED. (B) TO PROVIDE FOR THE RELIEF OF PERSONS WHO ARE IN CONDITIONS OF NEED, HARDSHIP OR DISTRESS AND IN PARTICULAR BUT WITHOUT PREJUDICE TO THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING OF EX-OFFENDERS DRUG ADDICTS, ALCOHOLICS, THE AGED, THE HOMELESS, THE SICK AND THE DEPENDENTS OF SUCH PERSONS.