152 years of the Together Trust

On 4 January 1870, our first home opened as a 'Night Refuge for Homeless Boys' in a small terraced house on Quay Street in Manchester. The charity provided basic shelter for the night and food for boys who would otherwise be living on the streets. 

They averaged around 40 permanent residents each month, with 144 boys admitted from 4 January – 4 July 1870. The children were in three separate divisions: shoeblacks, messengers and those who had acquired permanent situations. They all earned wages, and a proportion of this paid for their maintenance. The rest was spent on clothes for themselves or lodged as savings.

The boys were taught reading, writing and arithmetic three nights a week. The institution was entirely unsectarian; no question to the boys' religion was asked on admission.

Over the years, the charity has been known to people under different names. In the early days, it was recognised as the 'Manchester and Salford Boys' and Girls' Refuges and Homes', after 1960 as the 'Boys and Girls Welfare Society' and now as the Together Trust.

Today, we deliver individual care, support and education with services across the North West. We can't wait to develop, grow and make an even bigger impact in 2022.