Swansea Foodbank
We have two Foodbank Centres participating, our Foodbanks at Port Tennant Community Centre and at LifePoint Church. Both serve the city centre where the majority of homeless people are placed in hotels and other types of temporary accommodation. A new innovation by Swansea Council is the use of surplus student rooms in purpose built blocks to house single homeless people. Changes to visa regulations mean the local universities are seeing large reductions in international student numbers and a number of student blocks have been sold to housing associations who are using the rooms to house homeless people on a temporary basis. This has freed up other accommodation for homeless families, so we are seeing more single homeless people at our Foodbanks and far fewer families with children.
The number of homeless people seeking help from Swansea Foodbank is higher than last year. We provided about 6 food parcels to homeless people each week in 2025. So far this year the figure is closer to 8. Some statistics are attached. We have also looked at the age profile of the clients, as this information was captured at Port Tennant. Most of our homeless clients fall within the age range of 26 to 45. Many have been released from prison and are under the Probation Service. Drug and alcohol addiction also feature in this population and we work with Barod and other agencies, signposting clients who wish to seek help.
Clients tell us that the most popular items that we provide are tin openers, cutlery, and pot noodles. The least popular is washing up liquid. Given this feedback from the clients, we would like to switch the funding for washing up liquid to tin openers and cutlery, if you are agreeable to that.
Since we applied for the grant from the 1910 Trust, we have also received a huge donation of period products that will last us over a year. Our grant request included £102 towards purchasing these items and we would like instead, to use that money to buy plastic reusable crockery as this is something people are regularly asking for. We have identified a supplier that can provide a dishwasher and microwave proof large plate, small plate, bowl and mug for £1.50. We have opted for plastic because our homeless clients tend to carry their possessions around in rucksacks and these items need to be as unbreakable as possible.