How The Salvation Army help people who are homeless | Cardiff

We travel to Wales to meet Stella and Natasha who are on the streets of Cardiff to support vulnerable people, including rough sleepers and those that are homeless.

Rough sleeping is the most visible, extreme and damaging form of homelessness.

People who are sleeping rough will sometimes sleep outside on the streets in doorways, parks or bus shelters or other places not designed for living.

People who sleep rough often have complex physical and mental health needs and may be struggling with addiction. They are often very vulnerable. In 2018, the average age of a rough sleeper at death was just 44 years for men and 42 years for women.

We are committed to supporting people out of rough sleeping and helping them move into safety and accommodation. We accommodate people in our supported housing services (Lifehouses).

When it is very cold we work with local councils to keep people as safe as possible and put people up in the communal spaces in Lifehouses such as the lounges. In the winter we also operate a number of night shelters – often run by Salvation Army churches on a rota basis with other local churches. We also have some specialist teams such as the one you see here in Cardiff that go out and work with people who are sleeping rough and try to support them into accommodation and services.

To find out more about The Salvation Army go to http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk