Winter Night Shelters

  
The Kingston Churches Winter Night Shelter Scheme set up by KCAH in conjunction with the local churches is now in the middle of its 4th year of running.  Each year it opens from 1st December to the end of February.  Last winter, a highly successful three month scheme saw 35 "guests" pass through the 13 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 28th 2011 - please contact the Housing Crisis Intervention Service on 0208 255 7400. 

Night Shelter Donations and Thanks

We continue to be well supported by the local Churches and by private donations. Without this support, the Night Shelter would not be able to function. So a BIG THANK YOU to everyone involved!

KCAH has also received generous donations including sleeping bags and sleeping mats from John Lewis and Millets in Kingston.  KCAH also wishes to thank the Mayor’s Trust, the Town Centre Management Team, the Primary Care Trust and the Police for their support. Together with a grant from Kingston Council, we were able to pay for a Project Manager – Rachel Makin – to run the scheme.  The recent Let’s Do It Community Award of £1000 will enable us to purchase a new computer for the Night Shelter co-ordination work.

Being a Volunteer for the Night Shelters

We have enough volunteers for this year’s project. We are very grateful to all the volunteers from the hosting churches and the wider community for all the time and effort they put into making the Shelter happen.

 If you would like to volunteer at the Shelter for winter 2012-2013, please do check this website from October 2012 onwards for details.

Thank you.

  Last Updated:  25th January 2012