Ready-to-Go Projects - Homeless/Housing - Winter Night Shelters
HOMELESS/HOUSING
Church Winter Nightshelters
Summary
Housing Justice, a national Christian organisation, provides advice, resources and training to enable groups of churches (at least 7) to run night shelters for rough sleepers over the winter (normally January-March). Each church provides space, facilities and volunteers on 1 night per week each.
Brief Description of organisation
We speak as the Christian voice on homelessness and housing. We offer networking support for Christian homeless projects and we train volunteers in these projects and guide the churches in setting up their own independent projects. We campaign on behalf of homeless people. We regularly speak to policy makers and journalists about the work the churches are doing to support local homeless people.
Start date of Organisation
2003
No. of churches/ groups supported
Hundreds
Title of Community Project
Winter Nightshelters
Brief Description
7 cross-denominational churches in a local community join together in a cluster to form a winter shelter, to enable local homeless people to survive the winter months.
Volunteers are drawn from the 7 church congregations, other local church congregations and the wider community. Usually around two-thirds of the volunteers come from the churches, one third from the general population. Shelters usually operate with around 250 volunteers per cluster, although Croydon has 1400 volunteers!
Each church offers their church hall one night of the week, so there is a Monday church, a Tuesday church, and so on.
Each cluster supports 12-15 homeless guests for 3-5 months of the year. No drink or drugs are allowed in the shelters and people are not allowed entry if they are intoxicated, in order to preserve a safe environment for volunteers and guests.
As move-on accommodation is found for a guest, their place in the shelter is filled by someone else on the waiting list. Depending on the agreement and procedure of the shelter project, some shelters accommodate 26 people throughout the winter, or alternatively over 100 if they are working with an outreach team who is willing to find move-on options for the guests.
The basic things the shelter provides is hot drinks, home-cooked dinner (3-course), breakfast, a safe place to sleep, informal befriending, time. Other things some of the shelters offer is casework, advocacy, starter packs, rent deposit schemes, housing.
Volunteer shifts are usually 6pm – 10pm, 10pm – 7am, 6.30am – 9am.
Five volunteers are usually needed for the evening shift, two or three overnight and 3 for the breakfast and clean up session.
Some shelters employ a coordinator and caseworker, others operate with volunteers only.
People offer time, cooking abilities, money, goodwill, friendship, food, clothes, second-hand books, local knowledge, TVs and DVDs, footwear, rainwear, underwear and socks, games, newspapers and magazines. Every contribution is valued. Sometimes ex-guests return in following years to volunteer in the shelters, this is encouraged in some shelters and their contribution is valued greatly.
Expected Results
The shelters accommodated 1425 rough sleepers in London alone last winter, offering 250 bed spaces every night throughout winter. More shelters are opening this year as the movement is growing.
There are approximately 5000 winter shelter volunteers from the Christian Community alone in London. The vast majority love working in the shelters, and look forward to meeting the next group of homeless guests.
Advantages to church
Getting to know other Christians in the local area
Following the gospel directives to feed the hungry, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked and seeing the power of the Holy Spirit first-hand in people’s lives
Doing something simple and practical which really helps someone and makes a huge difference to someone’s life
Services provided by national organisation
- Housing Justice holds regular forums for the coordinators of the winter shelters. We invite relevant speakers and disseminate appropriate andn useful information to the shelters. We offer training to volunteers around aspects of homelessness, drink and alcohol and drugs and mental health issues, and working safely.
- We investigate new legislation and how it might impact on the work of the shelters and find out definitive answers to questions posed by the shelter coordinators.
- We offer a bespoke service to new shelters to help them to set up and decide what level of service is appropriate to offer.
- We are available to mediate at meetings with referral centres, local and central government officials on matters as they arise.
- We are working with Heythrop College on research into the influence of the experience of volunteering in a church based shelter adds to the faith of the volunteers.
Financial cost to church
Set up costs: bedding, linen bags, food, power to heat the hall on winter nights
Shelters have an operational budget of £800 to £200K, depending on what services they decide to provide – they are all valuable and potentially life-saving to the homeless guests we see.
Non-Financial Requirements for church
- Taking a risk and trying something new
- Space for 17-20 people to sleep
- Willingness to work with other Christians and non Christians
- Volunteers from the church community and also from the local community
Contact Details
Sally Leigh (London Coordinator)/Alistair Murray (Regions Coordinator)
Housing Justice, Charity Centre, 22-25 Finsbury Square, London EC2A 1DX
020 7920 6600 s.leigh@housingjustice.org.uk a.murray@housingjustice.org.uk www.housingjustice.org.uk