Goleudy at 50

Fifty years ago, in 1975, Goleudy began life as the Swansea Accommodation for the Single Homeless Cyrenians, or SASH.

SASH was affiliated with the National Cyrenians organisation and initially ran a hostel for single homeless people. The hostel was only able to provide space for 11 people. The increasing demand in the area led to opening a winter night shelter, which soon became a year-round provision. The shelter offered 30 beds as well as practical assistance such as clothing, toiletries and a warm meal. At the start, the service was mainly staffed by volunteers.

Due to high demand, in 1979, SASH added additional night shelter accommodation in the Marina area of Swansea and a day centre on The Strand, which provided drop-in support.

The 1990s and 2000s saw significant change as SASH became Caer Las and we started to provide a broader range of services in Swansea and other areas of Wales.

Caer Las became Goleudy in 2020, and we have continued to develop our services in response to the needs of the community in Swansea and beyond.

We currently provide emergency support at our outreach centre, alongside hostel facilities, mental health-focused accommodation for those with substance abuse issues, and community housing. We also offer tenancy support in the community to help people threatened by homelessness remain in their homes.

We operate not just in Swansea but across West Wales with tenancy support services in Pembrokeshire, community housing in Carmarthenshire, tenancy support in Merthyr, hostel accommodation in Bridgend and various services in Swansea.

We have also recently expanded the community services we can provide from our Head Office in Cambrian Place, Swansea. This has been the home of Swansea Community Fridge for several years alongside the Connect project. Since the redevelopment of the building in 2024, supported by funding from Swansea Council and the Welsh Government, we have developed a Community Hub, a space for projects such as food workshops in our training kitchen and Friendship hubs in our main space, aiming to reduce loneliness and isolation in the community. We hope this will become a community centre in Swansea in the coming years, providing a place for people to meet, develop skills and share experiences.

Whilst the need for an organisation such as Goleudy in 2025 does evoke some sadness, we take pride in the work our staff and volunteers do to provide such comprehensive and specialist services. We are strengthened by the numerous success stories we see where residents and clients have taken action to improve their lives and supported those around them to do the same.