There’s a well-known story about a man walking along a beach, where he sees a boy gently tossing starfish back into the ocean. Curious, the man asks what he’s doing. The boy replies,
“Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”
The man, looking at the miles of beach and countless starfish, says, “Don’t you realise there are hundreds of starfish? You can’t make a difference!”
The boy listens politely, then picks up another starfish and throws it into the surf. Smiling, he says, “It made a difference for that one.”
This simple yet powerful story inspires our pledge to end homelessness. We know we can’t solve it for everyone—but we believe we can make a meaningful difference for individuals.
At Sanctuary Trust, we’re committed to creating stable, long-term housing pathways. Our vision is to evolve into a registered housing association, offering move-on housing, permanent homes, tenancy support, and eventually building ownership and management.
Recently, we took a significant step forward. We purchased a house in Colwyn Bay and moved in a man who had been accessing homeless accommodation for over a decade.
Today, he’s no longer homeless—he’s a general needs tenant, paying rent at Local Housing Allowance levels. It’s a small victory, but for him, it’s life-changing.
Pastor David Gilmour from Llay Church of the Nazarene has been working with Sanctuary Trust for two years, providing chaplaincy services. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty. Just
last Friday, alongside our CEO, he helped clean and prepare the flat—building beds, scrubbing toilets, and making sure everything was ready for the new tenant.
Thank you, Pastor David. Your dedication reminds us that real change happens through compassion, action, and community.
We may not be able to help every starfish on the beach—but we can make a difference for that one.
