Winter Night Shelters

  
The Kingston Churches Winter Night Shelter Scheme that KCAH set up along with the local churches will be running another scheme this winter between December 2010 and the end of February 2011.  Last winter, a highly successful three month scheme saw 54 "guests" pass through the 14 church shelters which  offered their venues on a rota basis.  The shelters are havens for people who present themselves as homeless at the KCAH office and would otherwise be rough sleeping or "sofa surfing" among friends and family until they outstay their welcome.

The Night Shelters would not exist without the wealth of volunteer support that has been generated from around the local community.  Last winter, more than 200 volunteers were involved.  KCAH train the volunteers so that they can offer a warm welcome and a listening ear to the guests but also maintain the rules of the shelter which have a zero tolerance towards drink and drugs.

All referrals to the shelters are made through KCAH. Those with a local connection to Kingston will have priority.  Referrals for the forthcoming winter night shelter will be taken from November 25th 2010 - please contact the Housing Crisis Intervention Service on 0208 255 7400.

Donation Thank Yous:

We continue to be well supported by the local Churches and by private donations. Without this support, KCAH would not be able to function. So a BIG THANK YOU! We do appreciate any support we receive, be it through giving - of time or financially - and we are always looking for donations of non-perishable food to distribute to the street homeless and to our tenants. Cleaning materials are always most welcome too so that we can sometimes give our tenants a helping hand in our bid to keep the houses in our Access Project looking spotless!

The response at Harvest time from the local Churches and Schools was incredible.  Our food stocks are already diminishing as people who are homeless or on low incomes have come to us for help.

KCAH has received some funding from the Thames Community Foundation to pay for a staff member, Daniela Lewis, to co-ordinate the shelters while they operate.  KCAH has also received generous donations including sleeping bags and sleeping mats from John Lewis and Millets in Kingston.  Thanks too to REED Employment in Kingston for making KCAH their Christmas Charity in 2009 providing donations of non-perishable food, cleaning materials, sleeping bags and crockery.  KCAH also wishes to thank the Town Centre Management Team, the Primary Care Trust and the Police for their support.

The KIngston Winter Night Shelter was strongly supported by last year's Kingston Mayor, Mr Ian R McDonald.  He targeted homelessness in the local area and raised the profile of KCAH and our efforts to help those in housing need.  By raising the roof to the homeless problems, Ian McDonald also ensured that there is more joined up writing between the Kingston agencies that work towards tackling the homeless issue.  The Mayor's Charity provided significant money to help finance last year's shelter.  It has also enabled us, along with Kingston Council grant money, to take on a Project Manager to oversee the forthcoming night shelter 2010-11.