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Join us to tackle homelessness in Cardiff.
What is #giveDIFFerently?
Give DIFFerently is a partnership approach to tackling homelessness in Cardiff between FOR Cardiff and existing homeless organisations and charities.
Give DIFFerently has been created to shine a light on the wealth of services provided to help combat rough sleeping across the city, as well as fundraising to provide essential grants for particular individuals at risk.
People in Cardiff give frequently and generously to the people they see on the streets but we’re becoming an increasingly cashless society.
Give DIFFerently provides an opportunity for people to think differently about how to support the homeless when they feel compelled.
By signing up to the charter or giving through technology, the charities who receive the support can ensure it goes towards helping people stay off the streets for good.
The Give DIFFerently fund helps existing homeless charities support the people they work with through small grants. Through grants of up to £750 – which are to be spent on essentials that will aid a person’s personal development plan – the aim is to provide individual solutions to individual issues.
How we are making a DIFFerence

Self-employment
For someone experiencing or at risk of homelessness, it’s common to have at least one criminal conviction, which makes it extremely difficult to find a job. Many application forms ask about previous criminal activity and we’re legally required to disclose it because many companies will perform routine DBS checks. An alternative option is to become self-employed, which is why Give DIFFerently have helped two grants applicants out of unemployment. With the full £750 grant, they have been provided with essential equipment to start their businesses. A criminal record can hold back the progress of a person experiencing or at risk of homelessness, leaving them with very few options to earn money. This only increases the chances of them turning back to crime to survive. A criminal past should never stop someone from moving forward. This grant can help people experiencing homelessness gain confidence, motivation for work, and ensure that they…

Providing Identification
Something as simple as owning a form of I.D can be a crucial step in escaping homelessness permanently. Driving licences, passports and birth certificates are easily lost or stolen when someone is sleeping rough and are extremely difficult to replace without a permanent address. Give DIFFerently supports access to I.D for people experiencing homelessness in Cardiff and has already provided four forms of identification to those who were struggling without it. Owning a form of identification allows access to crucial government services that we’re all entitled to. It’s needed to get a job, open a bank account, receive benefits and secure affordable housing. Without these vital services, breaking away from homelessness is almost impossible. The main barrier to obtaining I.D for a person experiencing homelessness can be a lack of money. The average cost of a driving license in the UK is £34-£43, depending on whether you apply online or…

Securing basic furniture
After living on the streets, in emergency accommodation, hostels or sofa-surfing, it could be easy to think that being granted permanent housing is the ultimate fix for someone experiencing homelessness. However, in the case of someone being granted housing, it’s quite likely that it will be unfurnished with no basic amenities like a bed, oven or fridge. Several of our large grants have helped individuals and families to secure basic furniture and white goods in order to make their accommodation into a comfortable home. Living in a furnished home can make a real difference for someone moving away from homelessness. Being safe and secure whilst at home helps to build stability in life and could be the deciding factor in them staying away from homelessness for good.

Wayne’s story
Wayne received the first ever Give DIFFerently grant. His experience of homelessness started at the age of 15, when his parents lost their family home. For the next 25 years, he repeated a cycle of homelessness, addiction and prison until he reached a tipping point which forced him to admit himself into a treatment centre. “I had lost the use of my right leg and left arm due to my substance misuse and was in a bad way. I knew I couldn’t carry on, so went to The Wallich for help, and they put me in touch with The Salvation Army. From there I went into sheltered accommodation. I decided enough was enough and sought help for my addiction.” Wayne has been sober since 2014, and in that time has completed countless courses to improve his employability including qualifications in English, Maths, and counselling. However, despite doing lots of volunteering,…
Keeping up with the news
Yasser’s Story
Yasser became homeless when he was given a surprise eviction notice to leave his home immediately in February 2019. He left with just the clothes on his back and slept between friends’ houses and the streets of Cardiff for the next six months, which he describes as the worst time of his life. During these months, he faced a succession of obstacles. With no secure place, important documents were lost, and his benefits were sanctioned. Yasser said: “This ruined my life, and it was really painful until I got to the YMCA. But things are starting to get better now with the help of the people at the service.” Yasser is taking part in the Aspire program at the centre which is a four-week training program to help people experiencing homelessness get back into employment. He is also one of the many homeless people in Cardiff benefiting from the generosity…

Tom’s story
Tom* became homeless in 2014 following a breakdown in his relationship with his partner. In September 2018, he was awarded our top grant of £750 to buy the necessary equipment to help him start up a business again. Before becoming homeless Tom operated a well-established construction and building company that he had built from the ground up. A change in personal circumstance and relationship breakdowns had a detrimental effect on his general health and wellbeing. With his self-esteem at an all-time low, his business broke down and he found himself in need of relying on a sickness benefit and frontline homeless services to support himself. He moved into a hostel and then onto Huggard Supported Housing where he was told about the Give DIFFerently fund. The grant has helped Tom to purchase equipment to help start up his business in the local community. This will help him to move away…
FOR Cardiff launches homeless charter
Today (Thursday 26th September), FOR Cardiff has launched Cardiff’s Homeless Charter to unite people, businesses, schools and universities to tackle homelessness in Cardiff together. Co-created with homeless organisations, it will provide other alternative ways to give through time, employment, skills and services to help people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Pledges can be made through the Give DIFFerently website. Businesses, such as Neal’s Yard, The Greenery and Jones the Barber have already come forward to offer a range of pledges such as offering community time to help people integrate into society, chef training to improve their employability and free haircuts to build confidence. Delyth Griffiths, owner of The Greenery in Cardiff Market, who experienced homelessness when she was 15 said, “I’ve been through my own struggle with homelessness and it can feel like the world is against you. It only took one person to help me get back on…
Card it FOR Cardiff
Over the last three weeks in March, donations for the Give DIFFerently campaign were collected via contactless technology at our interactive display in Cardiff city centre. For every tap at the contactless pay point, £2 will be put towards small grants for those who are currently experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness. Thanks to the Four Acre Trust, your £2 will become £4, doubling your donation.
FAQ's
How we are making a DIFFerence
From grants as little as £25 to purchase ID to larger sums of up to £750 to fund vocational training courses, Give DIFFerently is working in tandem with existing support available from frontline services to help change peoples’ lives. We are busy gathering the good news stories of these grants, so please check back soon!
What is Give DIFFerently?
Give DIFFerently is a fundraising campaign that unites homeless charities already established across Cardiff.
Research is showing that over the next ten years less than a quarter of people will carry cash on a regular basis. Give DIFFerently provides an opportunity to think differently about how people can donate to the homeless when they feel compelled.
Most importantly, by giving through technology the charities who distribute the money can ensure it goes towards helping people stay off the streets for good.
It provides an alternative fund to help these homeless charities support the people they work with through small grants. Through grants of up to £750 – which are to be spent on essentials that will aid a person’s personal development plan – the aim is to provide individual solutions to individual issues.
Why are you relying on public money to tackle homelessness?
Give DIFFerently is a partnership approach to tackling homelessness in Cardiff between FOR Cardiff, The Big Issue Cymru, Cardiff Council, Community Foundation in Wales, Huggard, the Salvation Army, South Wales Police, The Wallich and Public Health Wales.
Give DIFFerently has been created to shine a light on the wealth of services provided to help combat rough sleeping across the city, as well as fundraising to provide essential grants for particular individuals at risk.
Giving money or food to people living on the streets aids the perpetuation of homelessness but we know that people in Cardiff give frequently and generously to the people they see on the streets.
Research is showing that over the next ten years less than a quarter of people will carry cash on a regular basis. Give DIFFerently provides an opportunity to think differently about how people can donate to the homeless when they feel compelled.
Most importantly, by giving through technology the charities who distribute the money can ensure it goes towards helping people stay off the streets for good.
Are my donations paying for this campaign?
FOR Cardiff, the Business Improvement District for Cardiff is funding the Give DIFFerently campaign so that the money donated by the general public can go towards helping those experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Does all the money go to individuals/organisations?
Give DIFFerently is committed to making sure the money donated by the general public helps change the lives of people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This includes the cost of making sure the grants are allocated to the right people at the right time and that they are properly monitored. In this case, 10% of donations go to the Community Foundation in Wales to cover administration costs of managing the fund.
An additional 10% of all donations is ring-fenced for organisations working with those at risk of Adverse Childhood Experiences to prevent the next generation from becoming homeless or having to resort to street-based activities such as begging.
How do I know my donation is being spent properly?
Organisations can apply for grants of up to £750 for individuals and applications are assessed by a panel overseen by the Community Foundation in Wales.
Examples of potentially successful applications could include:
- Appropriate clothing for interviews and/or employment
- A bike to get to a new job
- Training/course fees
- Fare to visit estranged family
- Furniture/household items for a rough sleeper who has moved into a tenancy
- Counselling
- Work materials/equipment
Once awarded, grants are handled and monitored by the organisations – cash will never be given directly to the service user – and proof of purchase is required.
How quickly will the grants be made and distributed?
Application for grants are now open via cfiw.org.uk. Organisations can apply for grants of up to £750 for individuals.
Grants applications of up to £250 will be turned around in five working days and decided on internally by the Community Foundation in Wales. Grants of £250-£750 take 10 working days to process and will be decided on by panel.
Process times are subject to the return of the offer letter and signature of the terms and conditions by the support worker and individual.
Following successful offer, it is up to the organisation to work with people to spend that money in a reasonable timeframe.
Are you telling people not to give directly to people they see on the streets?
Give DIFFerently provides an alternative way to give to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
Research is showing that over the next ten years less than a quarter of people will carry cash on a regular basis. Give DIFFerently provides an opportunity to think differently about how people can donate to the homeless when they feel compelled.
Most importantly, by giving through technology the charities who distribute the money can ensure it goes towards helping people stay off the streets for good.
Why not just donate to existing charities?
Give DIFFerently is not another charity, it is a fundraising campaign that unites homeless charities already established across Cardiff.
It provides an alternative fund to help these homeless charities support the people they work with through small grants.
Has this technology been used before and how do you know it will be successful?
Yes, Cancer research UK trialled contactless shop fronts in London and similar technology has been used by the Rough Sleeping Alliance in Bristol with great success.
This is the first time it’s been brought to Wales to tackle homelessness and we hope that it does as well as it has for others.