At Llamau, we are determined to create a Wales where no young person or woman ever has to be homeless. It’s a big ambition and to some people it might seem impossible but we know homelessness is not inevitable and if we all work together it really doesn’t have to exist.
We think about the bigger picture because just putting a roof over someone’s head is simply not enough. That’s why we focus our support in three key areas in order to end homelessness.
Early Intervention and Prevention: this means preventing homelessness before it happens and not waiting until people reach crisis point before they get the support they need. This involves going ‘upstream’ of the issue and in the long-run is a much more cost-effective way of tackling homelessness.
Safe Accommodation: this means providing homely and safe supported accommodation and refuges, and not institutional hostels. These are places that people can genuinely call home and which give people a safe platform from which to rebuild their lives.
Support to Move On: this means recognising that with the right support everyone can move on to live independently in their communities. We focus on supporting people with mental and physical health issues, which have developed from the traumas they have experienced and on supporting people into education and training so they are able to move into sustainable jobs that allow them to move on from homelessness for good.
Alongside our support, we are determined to create a movement that brings about an end to homelessness. We won’t stand for the status quo – we have to do better than that. While we will continue to support people who are pushed into homelessness, our focus will be on creating and pushing for solutions that prevent homelessness in the first place. This means we work hard to understand the issues that have forced young people and women into homelessness and campaign for changes to the systems and structures that are causing it.
