A HOSTEL for homeless people in Worcester has 'rebranded' to focus on the rehabilitation offered to residents and move away from the stereotype of rough sleepers.

St Paul's in Tallow Hill has a new logo and slogan of 'protect, recover, reconnect', and Tristan Palmer Studio helped with the rebrand.

The Stourport-based design firm has been working with St Paul’s over the last 18 months to help challenge preconceptions of the work done at the hostel.

A statement from the two organisations on the rebrand said: "The rebrand symbolises the step-change in approach of the organisation which has taken place over the last few years.

"Commonly associated with simply providing a roof over the head for bearded and dishevelled men with alcohol addictions, St Paul’s have embedded a trauma informed care, and psychologically informed environment to help tackle the root causes, rather than these symptoms."

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St Paul’s chief executive, Jonathan Sutton said: “There are two things I know are difficult to change but nevertheless must change. First, the public perception of homelessness often starts and ends at the symptoms – the addictions and the anti-social behaviour – when it's childhood adversity and trauma that undermine a person’s resilience.

"Secondly, St Paul’s Hostel has changed in both approach and function. It’s safer, cleaner, better run, and the staff are exceptional.”

Tristan Palmer, owner of the design firm, added: “In early 2018, we began conversations with the inspiring team at St Paul’s to present the case for repositioning St Paul’s through a rebrand driven by their recent strategic changes as an organisation.

"We were delighted to begin working with them, offering our service pro-bono in the interest of us helping to make a true and quantifiable difference by supporting a fantastic local charity.

"Like many local businesses, we felt strongly that providing our skills and expertise would help provide a much stronger impact to the charity’s growth and development than any purely monetary donation we could offer as a small business.”

St Paul’s trustee Dr Helen Watts, who led the small working group, said “It was essential to communicate the true values of St Paul’s, relating to compassion, optimism, and change, and to make sure they came across in the rebrand. I think we have captured this – the new branding shows strength, courage and that we want to be the voice for the homeless community.”

The rebrand is just one way in which St Paul’s has changed in the last few years. Since adopting a Trauma Informed Approach in 2016, police call outs have reduced by 66 per cent and long term exclusions of resident have reduced from 88 to five in the last six years.

If you would like further information on St Paul’s Hostel, see stpaulshostel.co.uk