Help us be there for people like Stephen

Helping people who are homeless is what The Salvation Army does, and so we want to make sure that we’re there for as many people as possible this winter.

Help us help people like Stephen. 

Since he was a young man, Stephen used alcohol to cope with anxiety and depression. This dependency on alcohol caused Stephen to lose two marriages and contact with his children.

Stephen slept rough for two years. To cope with the shame, Stephen turned again and again to alcohol, to the point where his addiction was posing a serious risk to his survival.

Stephen’s turning point came when he met Kelly at a local hostel for homeless people. Kelly worked at a detox centre nearby run by The Salvation Army, specifically for people with drug and alcohol addictions. When Kelly offered Stephen a place, he did not hesitate

Day by day, the specialist treatment Stephen received at The Salvation Army’s detox centre had a gradual effect: ‘The Salvation Army saved my life. Whenever I weakened, I could call them, night or day, and they’d be there. Life is beautiful again.’ 

The Salvation Army helped Stephen find a place of his own, where he has been living for over a year. Incredibly, Stephen has now gone three years without drinking and is putting years of alcohol abuse behind him.

For The Salvation Army it is unthinkable that people like Stephen should be living on the streets in the bitter cold, especially at Christmas. No one should have to live on the streets. No one should have to be alone. That’s why we won’t rest until we’ve reached out to as many suffering and vulnerable people as we can.

Please support our Winter Appeal so we can provide hot food, practical support and somewhere warm to sleep for people who need it.