An in-depth account of attachment-informed therapeutic work with homeless men is given that is creating a gradual paradigm shift in this field, which has traditionally rejected the feasibility of long-term therapeutic interventions for this marginalized group. Understanding attachment is seen as a crucial catalyst for change. Unravelling the levels of familial and institutional violence reveals the fundamental flaws of previous approaches, which have ignored the bodily and psychological impacts of abusive attachment relationships, and violent severance of attachment bonds. These, the author argues, are carried as memories into adult life, requiring self-medication. The survivors have then been punished for their coping strategies because they are perceived as aberrant by the institutions providing care. This article provides moving narrative accounts of the experience of working with a stigmatized and marginalized group to empower change.