The Oasis Centre
Their vision is to see God-given transformation for isolated, vulnerable and disadvantaged people living and sleeping rough in East Manchester – from chaos, isolation and hopelessness to stability, community and fullness of life.
They provide a place to call home through 5 programmes of support:
RE-BUILD: moving people’s lives from chaos to stability: helping people become safe and healthy. In 2022: we dealt with 4,605 crisis issues.
RE-ENGAGE: moving people from isolation to inclusion: helping people become involved. In 2022: they had a footfall of 17,173 with 1,755 new people coming in for support.
RE-SKILL: moving people from hopelessness to being skilled and aspirational: helping people learn and achieve. In 2022: 393 people accessed their adult education programmes from 32 nations.
RE-START: moving people from a place of worklessness to being employed: helping people find work and contribute. In 2022: 232 people were supported through their IT and work club and 54 people found employment.
NEXT STEP: moving people from inexperience to volunteering, helping people find value and worth. In 2022: 19 people joined their Next Step programme, serving 33,600 free meals to people in need and selling 23,000 items in their low-cost charity shop.
The Oasis Centre was founded by Victoria Armstrong who, having become shocked by the deprivation when she moved into Gorton, began to understand God’s incredible heart towards the vulnerable, rejected and forgotten. God gave her a vision of a building which would pour out His unconditional love 24/7 and in 2001 the Oasis Centre was born. Victoria always knew that God would provide a building for Oasis to flourish for the long-haul and in 2014 Manchester City Council offered Oasis a piece of land for £1 to develop a £1.2 million purpose-built centre. After securing more than half of the funding needed, Victoria contacted us (Lancaster Foundation) and told her story. We quickly understood the vision God had given the Oasis Centre and the incredible work they were doing in East Manchester. We were delighted to help support the project, helping them to develop their work further and reach even more vulnerable and isolated people in East Manchester. More recently, we were excited to partner in helping them pilot, develop, and sustain their ‘Next Step’ programme; helping people recognise their true worth in Christ, feeding hundreds of people each week and mentoring the next generation of Oasis volunteers!
“I came to Oasis to brush up on my skills and do job search and join in whatever I can do. When I came, I was hiding a big secret that no-one could know. I was nervous of people finding out but then I told one of the staff and they accepted me and still wanted me. Now I’ve changed, I used to be quiet but now I am not, and I love everything”.
At the Oasis Centre they see stories of change and transformation on a weekly basis and we have been inspired by all that God is doing through their amazing service. Examples include: helping a lady who opened up about severe domestic violence and then providing her with help to escape to a safe house with her children. They supported a mum with three children who was suffering depression and illness because of unbearable housing conditions. She had been afraid to speak out, but they were able to confront the landlord, bring in environmental health, and arrange for her to move to safer accommodation. They helped a man with mental health difficulties who was having his benefits regularly stolen by a local gang. They gave him a food pack, helped him contact the police, and got him involved with one of their daily wellbeing programmes and free café.
“This place has been a lifeline to me. I remember thinking that taking my own life would be an option but I just couldn’t go through with it. Here at Oasis my confidence started to grow. It’s changed my life! I feel like I’m getting my life back together.”
