Who We Are

CHAIR / DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, INVOLVEMENT & ENGAGEMENT, LLAMAU (he/him)

After completing studies at the University of Plymouth, Mark started work for Careers Wales Cardiff and Vale on a temporary basis, working on destination data inputting. He was then fortunate enough to then be given an opportunity to deliver Education Gateway in schools to young people at risk of not making a positive progression at the end of year 11. Mark developed a passion for working with this cohort and seeking new and innovative ways to support them, which led him to being part of the Learning Coach pilot programme in Cardiff and was invited soon after to head up a team of learning coaches in partnership with Cardiff Youth Service and Careers Wales. This work then informed the Welsh Government Youth Engagement and Progression Framework, where he spent 7 years seconded into Cardiff Council to lead on their Early Intervention and Brokerage work to reduce the number of young people leaving school as NEET. This role came to an end in 2018 and in 2019, Mark moved into the third sector as Head of Education and Participation for Llamau and being responsible for our Education at Llamau provision, which supports those furthest away from the labour market. Mark now also leads Upstream Cymru in addition to this. Mark passionately believe in giving all young people the opportunity to succeed and recognise the need to celebrate success, no matter how small that is. Outside of work, he coaches and sits on the committee of a local football club in Cardiff and is a keen runner and walker.

CEO LLAMAU (she/her)

Sam Austin is Llamau’s Chief Executive and has worked in the support and housing sectors for over 30 years, in both statutory and charitable roles. Sam is a keen advocate for social justice and the need for systemic change to enable services and systems to properly work for the people who use them. She has led on the development of new services and models of support for young people and women, with a particular emphasis on early intervention and prevention services and has overseen the development of Llamau as a psychologically and trauma informed organisation. In addition, Sam has also previously held the positions of Chair of Cymorth Cymru, Chair of Cardiff and Vale UHB Stakeholder Reference Group and is currently Vice-Chair of Cardiff and Vale Regional Partnership Board.

CEO GISDA (she/her)

Sian is currently the Chief Executive Officer at GISDA in North Wales.

GISDA is a charity supporting young people and provides various services including accommodation, homeless prevention services, LGBTQ+ tailored support, young parents’ groups, young care leavers service and therapeutic mental health support.

Sian qualified as a Social Worker from Cardiff University in 2002 and has over 20 years’ experience of working with children, young people and families. She worked for Gwynedd Social Services for almost 10 years as a ‘Child protection and Looked after Children’ social worker and then as a manager for the disabled children’s service.

Sian is passionate about equality in particular for young care leavers, young people from the LGBTQ+ community and young people who have experienced homelessness. Sian sits on the Board of ‘Gwersylloedd yr Urdd’ , on Pwyllgor Pentra Deiniolen in the community where she grew up and is also one of the Board Members on Welsh Government's Youth Work Strategy Implementation Board. Sian’s first language is Welsh and in her spare time loves to hike and travel. 

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE OF GLOBAL HOMELESSNESS (he/him)

Having worked as a Professor in the School of Geography and Planning at Cardiff University for over fifteen years, Peter is now the Executive Director at the IGH.

Pete has a particular research interest in the housing experiences and pathways of vulnerable people. His research has a particular focus on youth housing and homelessness prevention, a field in which he has sought to understand the experiences of young people from their perspectives. He is also increasingly engaged in data linkage with administrative data sets. Recent work includes the review of homelessness legislation in Wales, as well as being a driving force on the development of Upstream Cymru, while acting as a link to partners working on the project in Canada, Australia and the USA. Peter has also been a board member at Llamau since 2009.

TREASURER / DIRECTOR OF FINANCE, TRIVALLIS (he/him)

Richard is a finance professional with 30 years’ experience in housing, services, and banking.

As Director of Finance at Trivallis, and previously in senior roles at Pobl Group, he has overseen finance, treasury, procurement, technology, and business improvement. He excels in business planning, treasury management, and driving value for money through innovation.

Richard has led teams, managed complex projects like loan refinancing and rent policy reviews, introduced rolling forecasts, and supported mergers and resilience efforts.

He is dedicated to mentoring colleagues, promoting efficiency, collaboration, and using technology for growth.

(she/her)

I’m Amari. I became an EYHC Champion in 2025 after being involved with some of EYHC’s peer research. I first became homeless at 15 and again at 17 once I left the foster care system. I am now 22, but my experience with homelessness still affects me and will affect numerous care leavers every year, setting us back in every aspect of our lives.

I hope that my involvement with EYHC will help to create change for future generations of young people facing similar issues as me.

(they/them)

My name is Axe and I’m 21 years old. I first got involved in EYHC as a Peer Researcher for the ‘Impossible to Navigate’ project as someone who has Tourettes and autism, and has experienced youth homelessness firsthand.

I have thoroughly enjoyed being a researcher and presenting our findings across various parts of South Wales. I look forward to getting more opportunities to bring more awareness and action to end youth homelessness across Wales.

(she/her)

I joined the EYHC Champions in February 2025. I’ve lived in North Wales my whole life and I have a strong passion for improving my country for the better. I experienced homelessness at age 16, and thus have first-hand knowledge of what the threat of homelessness can entail for a young person.

I’m currently studying with the intent to pursue a career in journalism. Using my writing and research skills, I hope to use truth and personal insight to make the world a better place.

(they/he/she)

I’m Freya, one of the EYHC Champions. I’ve experienced homelessness as a teenager and the impact of it still effects my life today. I’m hopeful I can help contribute to challenging and eventually ending youth homelessness and providing support for those who currently struggle with houselessness today.

(he/him)

Hello, I’m Michael. I’ve been working with EYHC since summer 2025. I joined because of my personal experience of homelessness. Outside EYHC, I’m involved in various other volunteering groups in Powys and am currently in college. My main focus is minorities and how largely effected they are by homelessness.

(she/her)

Hi, I’m Phoebe. I joined EYHC to give a voice to young people who are affected by homelessness because they deserve to have someone on their side. I hope that by giving a voice to these young people, we can change things for the better by making sure there are safe spaces for them to speak out or even stay when they need to.

(he/him)

My name is Ryan and I’m a Youth Board Member. I’ve been involved with EYHC since 2025. I joined because I was homeless for two years moving from hotel to hotel. I’ll be becoming a parent this year and I want to end youth homelessness because of how often it happens and how much of a problem it is. I’m experienced in kitchens and cooking and would like to educate young people on how to cook for themselves and how to spread a food budget.

(he/him)

I’m 27 and originally from North London but I moved to Swansea for university, fell in love with Wales and have been here ever since. Unfortunately, whilst at university, I did not receive the support I required surrounding my neurodivergence, mental health issues, and student finance, and faced youth homelessness as a result. This had a huge impact on me and opened my eyes to the inadequacies of the current system, which inspired me to use my skills and my privilege to advocate and speak out on behalf of disadvantaged young people.

I met the EYHC team at a Llamau event in 2023 when they had just published their research on neurodiversity and youth homelessness. I have been involved ever since and played a large role in disseminating their ‘Impossible to Navigate’ research, including speaking at the Senedd launch event and being interviewed by BBC News. As an EYHC Champion, I hope to continue advocating for young people and for the systemic change needed in order to end youth homelessness.