Partnership outreach van providing help and support to those in need in Llanelli extended thanks to further funding by Police and Crime Commissioner

Following the success of a partnership outreach van parked up in Station Road, Llanelli in December – the initiative is being extended thanks to further funding provided by Police and Crime Commissioner, Dafydd Llywelyn. The Commissioner originally instigated the additional partnership working pilot in Llanelli in response to local concerns relating to substance misuse – and the response to the van in Llanelli was overwhelmingly positive, with 35 people receiving support from one or all of the agencies on the van across both nights.

Dyfed-Powys Police teamed up with Dyfed Drug and Alcohol Service (DDAS), Carmarthenshire County Council and Crimestoppers Fearless campaign in order to be able to engage with members of the community on the new outreach van, in order to support and signpost those in need during the festive period. The partners then came together and held a debrief session to consider the initial success and value of the initiative. Of the 35 people who had visited the van to seek support on both evenings – 12 were referred into DDAS and housing and employment services for longer term support.

At the conclusion of the debrief, there was consensus amongst the partners that the communities of Tyisha and Glanymor would benefit from extending it and there was an appetite for it, therefore each agency was keen to commit ongoing resources to the outreach van for the next three months. The initiative will then be reviewed again at that point.

Chief Inspector Chris Neve of Dyfed-Powys Police said: “I am once again grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner and our partners for their ongoing support for this initiative – which proved to be a popular and valuable opportunity for the communities of Llanelli to speak and work with the services involved. I was pleased to see so many people receiving the support and advice they needed in the initial phase of the initiative – and we now look forward to being able to continue to provide these services for the next three months and helping many more people. I encourage anyone who requires support and advice from any of the agencies, or would just like to chat with any of them, to come along and visit the van.

The council’s Head of Homes and Safer Communities Jonathan Morgan said: “This is an excellent opportunity for the community to speak to our officers first-hand about any issues they may have or any advice they may need on housing matters. We have exciting plans to transform the Tyisha ward and the community is a big part of that, we want to make Tyisha a better place to live and work for everyone.”

The project aims to provide a convenient and approachable opportunity for those in the community that would benefit from advice and support from these services, but who may not always proactively seek this out. It also allows the agencies to understand and experience first-hand the issues in the area.

The outreach van will next be parked in the St Elli Shopping Centre, Llanelli on Thursday January 16 between10am and 2pm, where all the partners will be there promoting the project and explaining what they can offer. 

Then from Thursday January 23, the van will be parked back in Station Road between 2pm and 7pm for anyone to access, and then every two weeks for the next three months. They’ll be ready and waiting to provide advice and support to all those in need.