Hospitality and Hope in the heart of Swansea

Matthews House exists to provide a warm and welcoming building in the heart of Swansea, with the expressed intention of being accessible for the homeless and most vulnerable in Swansea. We aim for it to have the feel of a home where hospitality is experienced by all who enter the doors, regardless of their background, beliefs or circumstances.

Hospitality is demonstrated through expressions, including a pay-as-you-feel waste food café called Matts Café, a shower and laundry facility, and dignity packs for people living in poverty. The aim of Matthews House is to be a safe space where people can feel at home, which situates us perfectly as a steppingstone for people to access other services such as housing, mental health, and benefits. Being this touchpoint for people in crisis led to the creation of three further expressions; a smartphone app called Hope in Swansea, a one-to-one advocacy scheme called Matt's Buddies, and a community choir. Hope in Swansea connects people needing hope with the organisations in Swansea who provide it. Matt's Buddies sees specially trained volunteers getting alongside people to offer additional support that is more personalised to their needs. This could include being a listening ear, supporting to fill out forms, attend appointments or signpost on. Matt's Community Choir is a way to reduce isolation and boost wellbeing through collective song.

Swansea Half Marathon is one of our biggest fundraisers of the year. Matthew's House, like all things in life, costs money to run and we are incredibly grateful to those who understand this and help us along the way. In 2022 our running team raised over £3,000 in sponsorship, which was amazing! This year, we hope to beat that total.

You can find out more about Matthew's House by visiting the website and YouTube channel.

Matthew's House is set up as a separate initiative of The Hill Church charity. Donations ONLY go to Matthews House, NOT the other activities of The Hill Church.