The 4-bed homes will help ease the housing crisis in Wales by sheltering people in their community.
The couple, Valerie (71) and Chris (77), are retired professors who married after meeting on a dating website; Valerie, a materials engineer and latterly novelist, Chris, a philosopher-poet with many publications to his name.
Their donation will become part of The Wallich’s Swansea ‘Alternative to Bed and Breakfast Accommodation’, or ‘ABBA’, which houses people in emergency need in Swansea. Residents stay for a short time, before being moved into more permanent accommodation.
With temporary accommodation becoming short supply across Wales, ‘ABBA’ is an important alternative to the historic use of bed and breakfast accommodation by local authorities trying to house people experiencing homelessness while longer term housing is sought.
Valerie said of the motives for donating the two houses to charity, “We knew how much help homeless people need. After we had settled down together for a while, we could see how our finances stood (we had sold two houses, one each, and bought just one), we hit upon the audacious idea of buying a house for those in need. We saw The Wallich’s CEO on TV and the rest is history.
“It is worth saying that we are not wealthy, but we are comfortable financially. It was part of our decision-making process that we don’t want to do things like international travel – we’ve both done more than enough of that in our careers – so we could commit the money for the two houses and still have the things that we like in life.
“Perhaps leasing them to The Wallich was the first step with a safety net, and then we decided we no longer needed the net. The other consideration was that we have four children between us (and nine grandchildren) who will already benefit from our Wills in other ways, so that ceased to be a factor.
“We hope our donation provides safety for people in need and that more people who have a little more to give, think about how they can support people where they live.”
The couple have a strong and passionate track record of encouraging social good. Chris has a long history of supporting causes, notably singing and raising money with Cor Cochion, hosting an asylum seeker and supporting English teaching. Valerie has been an active volunteer with Cruse Bereavement Support for 21 years and currently works on the helpline.
Mike Bobbett, a Director at The Wallich, said, “A donation of one house for people supported by The Wallich is huge – a donation of two houses is extraordinary. Valerie and Chris are brilliant. They care about people, and they are shining examples of the kindness of people in the world. We’re overwhelmed by their generosity.
“The Wallich is excited to prepare the two donated houses to be a safety net for people in Swansea.
“With more than 11,000 people living in temporary accommodation in Wales, and few places to move people into long term, meeting the community’s basic needs is becoming more challenging. We will continue to work with the local authority, agencies in Swansea and people on the streets to make sure this resource is fully utilised.
“Valerie and Chris are shining examples of the good in people and we hope their donation will inspire to use what they have to end homelessness in Wales.”