From homelessness to hospitality: Café EX4, Exeter’s new lifeline

Five years ago, Dan was homeless, living in supported accommodation, and struggling with addiction and mental health challenges. This month—the same week The Salvation Army in Exeter Temple celebrates its 145th anniversary—Dan stood alongside Majors Carl and Elizabeth Di-Palma who lead the church and charity in Exeter, to watch celebrity chef Michael Caines (MBE DL), cut the ribbon on Café EX4, a community café run by people with lived experience of homelessness, addiction, and neurodiversity.

Café EX4 operates under a licence agreement, making the café a tenant of the church. That distinction, say all involved, is exactly why it works.

The journey began in 2020 during COVID at Employment Plus, The Salvation Army's employability programme. Daniel Martins and two friends from Gabriel House—a supported housing scheme—needed food hygiene certificates to prepare meals for fellow residents. They came to Caitlin, an Employability Practitioner at Employment Plus who is based at Exeter Temple Corps on Tuesdays, for the course.

Caitlin said, “Dan came in to do his food hygiene course so they could open the café at Gabriel House. Watching Dan from where he was a couple of years ago to now – I could not be prouder.”

That small basement operation became the DBN Café at St David's Church. When that space became too small, Dan approached The Salvation Army about moving into the basement of Exeter Temple Corps. The building had a large industrial kitchen, disabled access, and a congregation already committed to community feeding.

Dan said, “The Salvation Army has good values, and command respect in the community. Holding the café here gives people a sense of warmth when they walk through the door. It feels like one big family now.”

More than just a café

Café EX4 is open weekly, serving fried breakfasts, cereals, toasties, and unlimited tea and coffee. But the food, everyone agrees, comes second. Entry is free. Breakfast is available by donation. 

The café is strictly over-18s only – an unusual but deliberate choice. Dan and the team work with volunteers who have complex backgrounds, including severe autism, ADHD, and past criminal convictions.

Dan said, “How do we manage that in a safe way and still be inclusive? The easiest way was to make it over-18s. If someone has a criminal conviction, we don't turn around and say, 'No, you can't volunteer.' That's not how people fit back into society.”

A new front door for a 145-year-old church and charity

For The Salvation Army’s Major Carl Di-Palma, the café represents something deeper than a tenancy agreement. He says it’s a relationship that keeps growing. 

“We could have started a new café ourselves. But these guys already had the connections in the community. This was about developing people, not running a project.” 

That development is already visible. Alan, one of the café's volunteers and its de facto chef, recently gave his testimony during a Sunday worship service - though regulars will tell you the kitchen runs just as smoothly thanks to Lee, who serves as both the café’s treasurer and its main chef, quietly balancing the books while flipping eggs with the same steady hands. Christine, another volunteer, has rejoined the Songsters (The Salvation Army's singing group) after many years away. Both now attend church regularly.

“The café is a new front door for the community centre. In the same week we celebrated 145 years of mission and service in Exeter, we were launching out in this new area of mission. What a way to celebrate.”

Green Party councillor Diana Moore attended the launch – not as a political gesture, but as someone who has an interest supporting such initiatives through sourcing funding where possible. Café EX4 operates as an unincorporated association, a not-for-profit structure that allows it to apply for grants without tax liability.

The local city centre police team has also taken notice. Exeter faces well-documented challenges around homelessness and addiction. The police now know Café EX4 as an alcohol-free, over-18s safe space – an alternative to pubs or the street.

To learn more about the work of The Salvation Army in Exeter and donate towards their causes, visit their website: Exeter Temple | The Salvation Army.