Southampton Churches Winter Support

Are you passionate about providing safe shelter for the homeless in our city over winter? Southampton Churches Winter Shelter is being run again this year from the end of December. 

Southampton Churches Winter Support is a partnership of churches in Southampton which aims to provide overnight accommodation for low-risk homeless people during the winter months. Under the name of Southampton Churches Winter Shelter, the same group successfully ran a similar scheme during January and February of this year.

This winter, they have a more ambitious plan to provide overnight accommodation in a single purpose-built location within the Lighthouse Church for up to eight rough sleepers for 9 weeks in total, beginning hopefully at the end of December. These rough sleepers are likely to have no recourse to public funds and are consequently ineligible for any other provision. The constant threat posed by the Coronavirus has meant that plans have had to be modified in order to minimise the chances of infection for guests and volunteers, for instance, by providing a single accommodation 'pod' for each guest and having strict guidelines regarding face coverings, hygiene and social distancing. This has involved our developing an extensive risk assessment which has now been supported by Public Health officials. 

Southampton Churches Winter Support are looking for volunteers for the scheme. Click on each team to find out about the opportunities to volunteer on the arrivals team, breakfast team and overnight team. If you are interested please complete and return the application form here and Volunteer Coronavirus Risk Assessment Form here to the address shown.