Over the past few months at The Sanctuary Trust, we have launched our latest community outreach project, The ROC (Reaching Out Centre) Denbighshire at 31 Vale Road, Rhyl. We’re establishing a new kind of space in our community, one focused on connection, practical support, and a more collaborative approach to some of the most complex social challenges our communities face.
This new centre is supported by Denbighshire County Borough Council and North Wales Police as part of a multi-agency response to issues around housing vulnerability, substance misuse, and repeat offending. But above all, The ROC Denbighshire is a community space; a place where any member of the public can walk in, be welcomed without referral, and access the support or conversation they need.
No Referral Necessary. Just Come In.
The ROC Denbighshire operates on an open-access, no-referral model. That means anyone, whether you’re experiencing personal challenges, looking for advice, needing to connect with services, or simply wanting a warm drink and a chat, is welcome.
This approach removes traditional barriers to support, allowing for early intervention, informal engagement, and genuine relationship-building between citizens and services.
One of the centre’s core aims is to support local and regional housing strategies by improving engagement with individuals who may be in unstable or unsupported housing situations. Through early, low-barrier contact, our staff and partners are better positioned to help people navigate the complex landscape of housing services, identify routes into safe accommodation, and take steps toward long-term stability.
Similarly, our collaborative work with North Wales Police reflects a growing recognition that traditional responses to repeat offending and street-based behaviours, particularly where addiction and trauma are present, often fail to produce meaningful change.
At the heart of the centre’s operation is a belief that everyone deserves dignity, support, and a sense of belonging. Our services are designed to be flexible, trauma-informed, and tailored to individual needs.
Services currently offered include:
- 🍲 Cook & Eat sessions
- 🧭 Advice and guidance – on housing, benefits, and navigating services
- 👥 Support groups – covering wellbeing, personal development, and substance use
- 💬 Informal engagement – with trained staff, community support workers, and outreach teams
While some visitors may be at crisis points, the centre is not solely for those facing street homelessness or addiction. Our doors are open to all—whether you’re recently housed and adjusting, looking for help with life admin, feeling socially isolated, or simply need a place to sit and connect.
One important aspect of our work involves building trust with individuals often excluded from traditional services. Many of these individuals face overlapping challenges—such as long-term substance use, mental health concerns, housing instability, and involvement with the criminal justice system.
By offering a consistent, compassionate presence—and by working in partnership with police, housing officers, and health providers—we’re beginning to see the value of rapport before referral: connection before compliance.
This is a preventative model, designed not only to respond to urgent needs but to address the root causes of chronic social exclusion, and support individuals in moving toward goals they set themselves.
The ROC Denbighshire represents a significant step forward in how we, as a community, respond to the realities of addiction, housing precarity, isolation, and offending.
It’s about doing things differently—not by creating more thresholds for support, but by lowering them. By focusing on trust, flexibility, and person-led care, we’re helping people take meaningful steps forward, regardless of where they’re starting from.
We are grateful for the continued support of our funders, partners, and the wider Denbighshire community.
