History
In April 1987 Sr Eileen O’Mahony, a Daughter of Charity of St Vincent de Paul, was asked to come to Luton to work in support of mainly young Irish immigrants. The Luton and Dunstable Irish Care and Advice Association was born and operated out of an office in Dunstable Road, Luton. The Association became a registered charity shortly afterwards and the name of the organisation changed to “The Luton Irish Advice Bureau” (L.I.A.B.) during 1989.
Sr Eileen perceived that there was a wider homeless problem in Luton and persuaded the Management Committee of the L.I.A.B. that it was necessary to open a Day Centre to care of those who were deprived in this way. The Day Centre opened in Brook Street, Luton, on 26 December 1989, and moved to the present Park Street premises in October 1991. A change of name in 1993 to “The Luton Day Centre for the Homeless” better reflected the work that was now undertaken and that the service had moved from providing accommodation search and other advice for the general Irish immigrant community. The range of people helped extended to embrace other socially excluded people including those suffering from alcohol dependency, drug and other substance misuse, physical/mental abuse, asylum seekers, those released into the community who were in mental health institutions or prison as well as those socially excluded through isolation.
More than 70 people a day were visiting the Centre, and that opened the door to a new venture. In 1994 training courses started and by 1996 a special centre was needed to house all the training activities. H.M. Queen Elizabeth II visited NOAH Enterprise and officially opened the Training Centre in 1999.
A furniture project providing second-hand furniture and work experience opportunities, Furniture Link, was born.
This expansion meant that the charity had, by 1996, grown to a point where it was appropriate that it became incorporated as a Limited company and formally registered as a charity.
