In our diocese of St Albans, ASCEND opened its doors in August 1996 at All Saints’ Church Centre, South Oxhey. It was founded by a small group of local people lead by the Rev. Ann Douglas, to counteract the problems of unemployment, social deprivation and learning disabilities. As ASCEND became established, it took over the running of a homeless project for young people aged 16 to 25, also based at the church. This work continues through Herts Young Homeless and ASCEND is now expanding its Young People initiatives to reflect current needs in the community.