About

Stepney Community Trust (SCT)

The Stepney Community Trust (SCT) is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee.

Charity Number: 297771

Company: 2036918

Borough: London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Address: 46 Myrdle Street, London E1 1HL

The charity was established by local people to serve the socio-economic and welfare need of the East End of London (London Borough of Tower Hamlets) and it continues to do so now.

Background and History

The Stepney Community Trust (SCT) is a community-led charity with a long history of self-help actions, working for justice and equality, and supporting residents to access good quality services. It was set up in 1982 as the St Mary’s Centre – a housing, welfare and resource project that responded to the area’s severe housing conditions and social deprivation. It initially drew its name from the St. Mary’s ward. But after the political boundary changes in the London Borough Tower Hamlets, the ward was renamed Whitechapel, prompting the organisation to change its name to Stepney Community Trust in 2002.

From the beginning, the SCT worked with others to help meet the unmet needs of local people living and working primarily in the Whitechapel area and, from time to time, engaged in activities for the benefit of the wider Tower Hamlets borough. It acted in various ways to help address the inequality and disadvantage experienced by local people, especially the Bangladeshis, in accessing decent housing, appropriate welfare advice and good quality education. Initially, the Trust campaigned to help improve local housing conditions, bring regeneration into the area and establish much-needed community facilities, including for young people to engage in leisure activities.

The Trust worked closely with the Greater London Council (GLC) and successfully persuaded the then Department of the Environment (DoE) to designate the locality as a Housing Action Area, which led to new investment for upgrading housing stocks and achieving environmental improvements. It also engaged with Tower Hamlets Council and local housing association partners to develop and implement concrete plans to help regenerate the area, focusing on addressing the severe local housing needs. In addition, the organisation’s activities included campaigning for issues around housing, education, employability and young people’s provisions.

In 1984, the SCT acquired the freehold of the premises at 46 Myrdle St., London E1 1HL, with assistance from the GLC. The GLC provided an additional grant to modernise the building’s lower ground and ground floors. This enabled refurbishment work to be carried out quickly and transformed the property into a community resource centre. Funding was also secured from the GLC, Commission for Racial Equality (CRE), European Social Fund and Tower Hamlets Council to appoint full-time staff and implement a comprehensive work programme.

The Trust is one of only four similar community organisations in the borough that owns its property, thus providing particular security and minimising overhead costs for running projects and activities.