The Salvation Army says the latest figures for households in Wales experiencing homelessness released today highlight a need to focus on underlying issues including poor mental health, relationship breakdown and poverty.

It comes as the latest figures from Statistics Wales show that homelessness in Wales has remained around the same level in 2024/25 compared to the previous year with more than 13,000 households assessed as homeless by councils in Wales (13,287 representing a decrease of 2% compared to 2023/24).

The Salvation Army is one of the UK’s largest providers of homelessness services and believes the best way to eradicate homelessness is to prevent people from reaching crisis point in the first place.

Andrew Connell, Policy Manager at The Salvation Army, said:

“It’s good to see a fall in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Wales last year. We must remember that the trend over time has been ever upwards and that needs to be reversed.

“The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation Bill, which is currently going through the Senedd, contains a lot that we would welcome, especially its emphasis on prevention and widening access to homelessness services. However, both the Westminster and Welsh Governments must address the shortage of affordable housing stock, especially social housing.”

Catherine Docherty, Area Operations Manager for The Salvation Army’s Homeless Services in Wales, said:

“Every person deserves a safe place to call home. It’s encouraging to see a slight reduction in the number of people experiencing homelessness in Wales last year, but the landscape of homelessness is complex and underpinned by poverty, mental health, relationship breakdown and substance use. On the ground, our teams continue to work hard in residential settings, street work and projects across Wales to help people find and keep a suitable home.”

Earlier this year, The Salvation Army welcomed the introduction of The Homelessness and Social Housing Allocation (Wales) Bill, by calling on the Welsh Government to take the opportunity to reset funding, promote collaboration and improve support. Among changes The Salvation Army would like to see is stronger cooperation across public services in Wales to identify and prevent homelessness before it starts, including better funding and more effective sharing of information between councils, the NHS and the justice system.

The Salvation Army has been active in Wales for more than 150 years and supports a wide range of people through its churches, charity shops and donation centres as well as its homelessness services and Employment Plus, which offers tailored support for people to get a job and stay in work.