The homelessness charity Julian House has changed its name to Alongside after a longstanding row with a similarly named organisation.
The charity’s former name was inspired by its founding homeless shelter in Bath, but Alongside said its new name would avoid confusion and protect its charitable resources.
The organisation announced the decision to rebrand in April, saying it had been in dispute with another charity with a similar name for “quite some time”.
A homelessness charity in Bristol called Julian Trust has since confirmed to Third Sector that it was the other organisation involved in the dispute.
Alongside said it had taken the decision to rebrand to “avoid confusion and in the interest of protecting our charitable resources”.
The charity said it has carried out due diligence and is confident that its new name “will not pose a challenge” in relation to similarly named organisations.
Helen Bedser, chief executive of Alongside, said: “The name Alongside reflects how we work: standing shoulder to shoulder with the people we support, meeting them where they are and walking with them at every stage of their journey.
“It also reflects how we work alongside local authorities and other partners to deliver the very best outcomes for clients – which will always be our top priority.”
The new name also aims to reflect the breadth of the charity’s services, which has grown from support for people who are sleeping rough to adults and children escaping domestic abuse, refugees, prison leavers and vulnerable members of travelling communities.
The name change has been accompanied by a new visual identity, including a new logo and colour scheme.
A spokesperson for Alongside said its logo had been made “more personable”, with a hand-drawn effect that reflects the individuality of the people it works with and the bespoke nature of its support.
“We’ve also incorporated an abstract head and shoulders of a person into the ‘O’, again with the aim of bringing our clients into the new brand,” the spokesperson said.
The charity has moved away from its former colour palette of blues and greens towards one that features bolder oranges, yellow and teal.
“We believe this better reflects the character and drive of the organisation, as well as helping us to stand out from other organisations working in the social exclusion sector,” the spokesperson said.
The charity consulted with its clients, staff and external stakeholders on the new identity with a mix of in-person and virtual sessions, with some targeted support from local agency The Wind In Your Sails.
Alongside’s spokesperson said it spent a total of £22,400 on the rebrand, having led the process internally to keep costs down.