Emmanuel House’s Nottingham Winter Shelter provides short-term emergency accommodation

We first met Martin* in January when he was rough sleeping on the streets of Nottingham. He had been sofa surfing as a result of a relationship breakdown and felt like he was running out of options. He slept rough for a few nights until he was found by the Street Outreach Team, who referred him to our Winter Shelter.

At the Nottingham Winter Shelter, Martin had somewhere safe to sleep, access to three meals a day, hot showers and somewhere to wash his clothes. He needed help with navigating the complex housing system and he was assigned a support worker, who spoke to the Department for Work and Pensions about his benefits payments and deductions.

We made a referral to the Nottingham Private Rented Assistance Scheme and we worked together to find him a room in a shared house. After two months staying at the Winter Shelter, he moved into his new property. When he was leaving the shelter, Martin said to us: “thanks for all your help, you guys have been amazing.”

Thanks to his Emmanuel House support worker, Martin is no longer street homeless, his monthly Universal Credit payments have increased and he’s working hard to maintain his tenancy and find paid employment.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

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