Homelessness charity calls for greater investment in prevention as it marks 40 years of impact

Nation Cymru staff

Llamau used its Annual Impact Event at the Senedd to celebrate 40 years of improving lives across Wales, while delivering a clear message to policymakers, commissioners and funders: invest in prevention or risk more people reaching crisis point.

The event brought together supporters, partners, elected representatives, staff, volunteers and people with lived experience to reflect on the charity’s impact during 2025/26 and highlight the growing challenges facing homelessness and domestic abuse services.

Throughout the event, guests heard powerful personal stories from people whose lives had been transformed through Llamau’s support, alongside examples of the charity’s work preventing homelessness, supporting survivors of domestic abuse and helping people build safer, more independent futures.

Speaking at the event, Llamau Chief Executive Sam Austin highlighted the organisation’s impact over the past year, with 97% of people supported reporting they felt safer, 96% reporting an improved quality of life and 95% saying Llamau had made a positive impact on their lives.

However, she warned that demand for support continues to rise.

In Cardiff alone, Llamau’s domestic abuse service receives around 700 calls each month, while calls to the Wales Youth Homelessness Helpline increased by 83% during the last year.

In her closing address, Sam urged the newly elected Welsh Government, commissioners and funders to prioritise investment in prevention services.

“Cutting services does not make need disappear,” she said. “It simply means that people reach crisis point, and when they do, the human and financial costs are far greater.

“Prevention isn’t only the compassionate choice. It is the sensible choice. It reduces pressure on public services, strengthens communities and gives people the opportunity to build safe, independent and fulfilling lives.”

Sam also called for greater recognition of the role charities play in supporting communities, preventing problems from escalating and reducing pressure on frontline public services.

“I ask all funders, commissioners, supporters and politicians to see investment in charities not simply as spending, but as contributing to change,” she said.

Reflecting on the stories shared during the event, Sam emphasised that policy and funding decisions ultimately affect real people.

“These decisions aren’t about spreadsheets,” she said. “They’re about people.”

“People’s pasts do not have to determine their futures. But futures do not change by accident. They change because somebody chooses to care, to act and to invest.”

As Llamau marks its 40th anniversary, the charity is calling on government, local authorities, funders, businesses and communities to work together to build a Wales where support is available before crisis takes hold, and where nobody is written off.

The event concluded with a renewed commitment to ensuring more people can access the right help at the right time.

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