What is Step by Step Wales?
Step by Step Wales is a Christian charity based in Swansea, South Wales that works to help people with backgrounds of addiction, mental health issues, learning difficulties, people who are reliant on state benefits or individuals who just need a bit of help and support.
Through the ages, some great Christian leaders have helped to make great strides into issues of their time. Inspired by these past successes we aim to play our part by tackling the problems of this generation. Step by Step aims to help people into physical work including gardening projects to give them an income and a feeling of purpose. By doing so we aim to bring them out of their darker present into a lighter future.
We share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and give Christian council in a gentle manner and whenever possible find a local Christian church to provide continued fellowship if individuals come to the Lord through the project. However, we will help people from any faith or belief set with their difficulties and do our very best to settle them back into the community.
How did Step by Step Wales start?
The project was formed by Rev Carl Roberts and his wife Vivienne. Carl has been preaching around Swansea for many years and is currently pastoring Grace and Truth Church at Bethel Mission in Brynhyfryd, dedicating a large part of his life to helping others through his strong faith.
It was whilst going into Prison with Swansea Prison Fellowship that a seed was sown in his heart and it became very evident that one of the biggest concerns was that on release it was difficult to get people into employment. There was also a need for ex-offenders to be given a second chance and have the opportunity to get their lives back on track, rather than being rejected by society.
Carl saw the need to offer physical work together with guidance, support, counselling and training. Working with the hands is a great way of developing skills, discipline and experience, which will potentially lead to a better quality of life.
It soon became clear that there were many others with similar needs such as those stuck in the benefit trap, people with addictions, mental health issues or learning difficulties and the focus of the project moved to help these groups as well as ex-offenders.
The story so far
We are able to offer paid work through a gardening and clearance business. We also sell donated goods in our shops and online to raise funds. We work with people with varying needs and abilities including those who have learning difficulties, ex-offenders and people with addictions.
We have had great success in offering people a number of paid hours a week and getting them into full time employment.
The project has also helped people with moving furniture. Clearing waste and finding housing on a non-profit basis. We have also provided people with beds, wardrobes and other household furniture as well as washing machines, fridges, TV's and other equipment. By helping people to get off benefits we are not only giving them a sense of worth and job satisfaction but saving the government thousands of pounds each year.
We work closely with various agencies and groups to help with the chain of support needed for the different people we come into contact with.
