Since 1989 Elmore has stayed true to our founding mission by innovating services

The History of Elmore

Elmore began with a 1986 survey that identified 138 people in Oxford who were known locally as being “difficult to place”. Growing concern that people with multiple and complex needs were being left on the margins of society led to the launch of the Elmore Team in 1989.

Our founding purpose was simple but ambitious: to provide the range of support people needed, fill gaps in existing services, and work alongside agencies to wrap coordinated support around individuals. More than three decades on, Elmore has remained true to this mission by continually innovating new ways of supporting people.

Elmore was formally established in 1988, following a two-year grant from the Department of Health and Social Services to the Elmore Committee. The Elmore Community Support Team was built on a strong partnership model, involving Social Services, the City Housing Department, local psychiatric services, GPs, and voluntary sector organisations.

Founded by Robert Elmore, an academic with a strong interest in social policy and later Deputy Chairman of the Health Authority, the committee brought together expertise from health, justice, and social care, shaping Elmore’s collaborative and person-centred approach.

In 2019, Elmore celebrated 30 years of delivering life-changing services. Today, what began as a small pilot led by passionate citizens continues to work in partnership with organisations including the Homeless Alliance, Oxford Health, and Oxfordshire County Council. Since 2015, our Mental Health and Complex Needs Floating Support Services have formed part of the Oxfordshire Mental Health Partnership, alongside NHS and local voluntary sector providers.

Every annual report from our founding in 1989 to today has been digitised to show how our founding mission has stayed the same, although our services have changed.

We are preserving our history for the future and this website is a way to make available many items related to our many years of supporting people.