Our Work

What we do

 

We help anyone experiencing poverty in England and Wales or overseas at any point before, during or after a crisis.

Select the service you require below or scroll further down for a summary of each service.

Visiting People
Youth
Community Support
Community Shops
Work with Prisons
Image of migrants
Social Justice

 

 

Young woman with arm wrapped around older woman on a walkVisiting People 

Visiting is at the centre of what we do. The essence of our work is person-to-person contact and spending time with people, giving them a sense of belonging, is our greatest gift. We call this befriending. 

 

 

 

 

Legs of pair of children facing each other in yellow and pink welliesYouth

Along with supporting the most vulnerable people, the Society takes its responsibility for safeguarding our young seriously. Through our youth programmes, we can provide the relief and guidance that, developmentally, helps every child that we encounter. 

Camps

There are seven children’s Vinnie Camps around the country giving supervised activity and fun to youngsters aged between eight and 14 years. They offer a week of fun, excitement and friendship to boys and girls who may well be in need of a break because of family problems such as unemployment, illness, bereavement or relationship breakdown. Find camps...

Young Vincentian programme

Our Young Vincentians programme takes our Vincentian ethos into schools, colleges and parishes, inspiring young people to give their time to volunteer and sow the seeds for a lifetime of service. With more than 600 groups in England and Wales, Young Vincentians are the youngest members of the St Vincent de Paul Society who turn their concern into action! Join Young Vincentians...

 

 

Smiling bald man in apron carrying tray of mugsCommunity Support

Community Support Projects (CSP) is the collective term we use to describe all the project work we do in the community:

  • Furniture stores
  • Support centres
  • Re-use partnership
  • Supported accommodation and two local Approved Premises. More...

If you have items of furniture that you wish to donate, go to our Furniture depot page

 

 

Couple outside SVP shop window decorated for ChristmasCommunity Shops

We operate over 40 St. Vincent's community shops across England and Wales as well as having an online offering. Our charity shops are a major part of our support for local communities. They provide affordable goods, employment and volunteering opportunities. They sell good quality preloved items at reasonable prices, play a significant role in the local reuse and sustainability agenda, and provide a visible presence of the Society. Shop locally...

 

Please use our interactive map to find your local charity shop or community support centres:

 

Work with Prisons

We visit the men and women residing in prisons, as well as working with probationary services through our work with prisons.

 

 

Social Justice

We campaign for social justice by identifying and tackling the root causes of poverty and discrimination.

Our main policy areas are:

A sad looking little girl darkly lit

We bring together our members and Community Support Projects with policymakers, empower people to speak truth to power and influence policy and legislation so that everyone can live with dignity and free of social injustice. Our work on social justice...

Back of black female apprentice for Green Tree Project in whitesI was at my wits’ end. I never thought I would be in this situation. St Vincent’s has really helped my family through this.

Overseas work

While the bulk of the SVP's work takes place in England and Wales, we never lose sight of the often desperate plight of people in the developing world. Member groups do this by offering practical and financial support for sustainable projects which offer long-term solutions to the ever-present problems of poverty, illness and lack of education through Twinning in India, Romania, Grenada, Guyana, Sudan and South Sudan.