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Alabare Place is a leading charity organisation in the Salisbury and Wiltshire County area. Anyone from the area that needs assistance, but is over the age of 16, should use the drop in centre. During their visit they can be given food, learn about homeless prevention schemes in Salisbury, and be signposted to other services as well.

Alabare Place also partners with other agencies in Wiltshire, such as the council and debt counselling agencies. Many of them are specialists so they provide free advice on certain needs. As often families on a low income may be able to apply for benefits such as local housing allowances, budgeting loans, and other financial aid for paying bills. The specialists that are available at the drop in centre can provide more information.

Preventing eviction is an aim of the Alabare Place, as they want to stop homelessness. They provide this service not only in Wiltshire, but also in all of the south of the UK and west as well. A holistic approach is given to understand the reason for homelessness, and a partner of this service is the Wiltshire Council Housing Options Team.

The financial aid for stopping an eviction is limited. The team from the charity can give advice on applying for rent arrears help, but Alabare Place does not have their own money available. Instead of paying rental expenses it is more likely for the person to move on into short term accommodation. Examples include Barnard’s Cross House for people with low support needs (ring 01722 334687) Ruth House in Devizes for substance misusers, and Bideford Supported Housing for the vulnerable (ring 01237 425922). There are several other accommodations available in Wiltshire too.

Free clothing is given out from the charity and is often given out with a food voucher. Older people volunteer as part of the Knitted Out scheme, and they make goods for the homeless and vulnerable. Whether it is a blanket or warm jacket, clothing can make a difference. The scheme is run from Riverside House, 2 Watt Road, Salisbury.

The Drop-In Centre is the main place to get information, and the telephone number is 01722 334687. It is open Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. The person using the site needs to be over the age of 16. Clients also need to be homeless, on a low income, or vulnerable, such as older or abusing substances.

This site is the main access point for Alabare Place programmes. There will be an initial needs assessment done by people calling on the centre. This will be used to determine what the person needs help with.

After the assessment has been done, anyone using the centre can be given the following. There is immediate help in the form of meals (such as toast or sandwich), food, free clothes, toiletries and drinks as well. Alabare Place also works to meet long term needs, such as referrals to other government and non-for-profit agencies. Those are the places in which an individual can apply for a welfare grant for paying their bills or get other support.

Alabare Place Move On combines keywork with housing and an action plan. Applicants need to have a low need for support, so maybe they have been stable in the past but have a short term emergency.

The end result of Move-On is the action plan. This can cover budgeting, debt reduction, opening and understanding a bank account, and using credit cards in a non-abusive way. Tenants can also meet with a specialist from Wiltshire College to go over their tenancy agreement, so they know their legal rights around rent, evictions, and housing.

For more information, call a scheme listed above. Or the main number to Alabare Place is 01722 322 882.