MP praises Salvation Army’s first housing project for veterans

A project which provides accommodation and support for veterans in Wrexham has been praised by MP Ian Lucas after he visited and spoke to service users.

The Salvation Army project, Ty Dewr, provides accommodation for up to 12 veterans at a time who are either at risk or are experiencing homelessness. It is the organisation’s first service specifically designed to provide accommodation for veterans.

Meaning ‘Brave House’, the facility opened on Bryn Estyn in early 2016 following a £2.26m grant to help convert and build apartments for military personnel.

MP Ian Lucas, said: “I was very pleased to visit Ty Dewr and I thought that the service provided was very good indeed. It was notable that one of the staff members had used the service himself – it shows the impact that a project like this can have.

“During my visit, I discussed the situation around homelessness in Wrexham as a whole with staff. I was interested to hear their views and I agree that a housing first approach, such as the one being used by The Salvation Army at Ty Dewr, is a very important part of tackling housing provision for people experiencing homelessness.”

“I’ve worked alongside The Salvation Army on a series of projects in Wrexham helping people experiencing homelessness – and I am sure I will continue to do so in the future.” The Salvation Army believe that providing a bed alone cannot break the cycle of homelessness.

“There are a range of activities available to service users at Ty Dewr, including an allotment for growing food, cooking lessons as well as fitness sessions. The focus is on life skills for moving forward into civilian life.”

Gill Corp, Service Manager, at Ty Dewr, said: “It was wonderful to meet our local MP and to introduce him to our service users, many of whom are facing challenges. We’ve been running Ty Dewr for eight months and in that space of time we have been working with service users to help them achieve their goals, whatever they may be.”

“We work with individuals to support them and, as a result we’ve witnessed some wonderfully positive outcomes.”

The Salvation Army works with a number of organisations to support veterans at Ty Dewr including Combat Stress, The Royal British Legion, Change Step, SAAFA (the Armed Forces charity), Care After Combat, Wrexham County Borough Council and First Choice Housing who own Ty Dewr.

Top pic: Ian Lucas, Dan Davies (service user), Rob Long (Salvation Army Regional Manager for Homelessness services), Scott Jones (Support Worker), Gill Corp (Service Manager), and Paul Mcarthur