Some journeys are not straight paths—they are winding, filled with setbacks, and marked by choices that, in hindsight, could have been different.
We first met this guest during one of his hardest moments. A timid man, caught in the wrong crowd, with no family or stable figures to rely on. For over a year, we supported him, offering meals, conversations, and a safe place where he could simply be. Eventually, he asked for help—to step away from the life he was trapped in.
We found him a place outside Swansea. A fresh start. A life rehab centre with purpose, training, and a chance to rebuild. He was eager, hopeful. But as the move grew closer, fear crept in. The leap was big—just 45 minutes away, but a world unknown.
At the last moment, he pulled back. The opportunity slipped away. But we didn’t give up on him. He remained our guest, and we continued to support him in every other way we could.
Eighteen months passed—months filled with bad influences, loneliness, moments of heartbreak. He was robbed, beaten, left feeling lost. And then one day, he returned—not to ask for help, but to say something rare:
“I should have gone when you gave me the chance. I made a mistake.”
Now, life’s reality has hit again. Due to vulnerabilities and difficult choices, he is likely to lose a leg. And with that, new doors will open—more support will become available, possibly even a move to somewhere safer, all this because of sad circumstances.
But through it all, one thing has remained constant: our support, our friendship, and the trust he has in us.
As he told one of our volunteers recently:
“I’m just glad you’re here. Even when I make mistakes, you’re still here. You’re the people I can come to when I’m struggling.”
And that’s what Matthew’s House is all about. Not just a meal, not just a moment of kindness—but a place of consistency in lives filled with instability. A place where people are seen, valued, and never given up on.