What we do
We help anyone experiencing poverty in England and Wales or overseas at any point before, during or after a crisis.
I 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.
Services in England and Wales
Visiting is at the centre of what we do. The essence of our work is person-to-person contact and spending time with people is our greatest gift. We call this befriending.
We focus on giving people a sense of belonging. As well as offering friendship and support, we help with food, clothes, furniture or financial help when needed. Our local groups also organise trips and social events for older people; help with transport to mass and other parish events, raise funds to send children to holiday camps; distribute emergency homeless packs to people on the streets; support prisoners, ex-offenders, refugees, asylum seekers and generally respond to local need.
We support youth
Along with supporting the most vulnerable people, the Society takes it's 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...
We serve local communities
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, click here.
Community 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:
We offer end of life companionship to the terminally ill and their families
We have partnered with the Art of Dying Well to support dying beneficiaries. We are doing this through a free online course to teach people how to offer companionship when people need it the most.
Volunteer as an End of Life Companion
We speak up
We campaign for social justice by identifying and tackling the root causes of poverty and discrimination.
Our main policy areas are:
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...