Tonight we will reopen our Winter Shelter for the 18th time. From Monday 14 October, we’re offering short-term emergency accommodation for up to 30 people every night until April 2025.
The Winter Shelter is the only free emergency accommodation project in the city and can be accessed by anyone over 18. This year it will cost us over £135,000 to run the project for six months.
“Again, the Winter Shelter will make a real concrete contribution to lowering the number of people rough sleeping in Nottingham. The support provided by the shelter will reduce the number of people who are homeless by supporting them into more secure accommodations options.”
Denis Tully, CEO at Emmanuel House
Increase in homelessness in Nottingham and the UK
This year we’re expecting another increase in referrals, due to increasing numbers of people being made homeless across the city. According to Shelter, the estimated total number of homeless people in Nottingham, as of 30th June 2023, was 1,997, which is 1 in 162 people, an increase of 24% in one year.
Nottingham’s increase in homelessness is representative of national figures. Recent data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government shows the number of households facing homelessness in England between 2023-2024 exceeded 320,000, the highest on record. This is an 8% rise on last year and means that more than the population of Nottingham are now homeless in England.
The ending of a private tenancy continues to be one of the leading causes of homelessness, including households that were served a section 21 ‘no fault eviction’.
How the Winter Shelter will operate this year
Due to an increase in costs, this year’s Winter Shelter will revert back to its original emergency night-time-only provision and will be moving out of its previous location at The University of Nottingham into a new city centre location. Guests will be provided with somewhere safe and secure to sleep, as well as breakfasts and evening meals.
All Winter Shelter guests will be provided with a Case Worker who will support them to find work, accommodation and help with accessing other services.
During the day, guests will be able to access our morning drop-in service. They will also be invited to take part in afternoon activities to reduce social isolation such as singing, games and wellbeing sessions, as well as access specialist external services such as the Homeless Health Team and the DWP. Guests will also have access to our mental health teams.
Since last year’s Winter Shelter closed in April 2024, we’ve been developing our own portfolio of longer-term single-room accommodation provision. We’re now able to offer guests longer-term accommodation from this new ‘move-on’ project, which aims to support people into their own accommodation by teaching them essential skills needed for living in private-rented tenancies.
How to refer someone to the Winter Shelter
Please note, all guests require a referral to Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter. If you are concerned about someone who is homeless, please get in touch with Framework’s Street Outreach Team.
How you can support the Winter Shelter
- Make a financial contribution to the Winter Shelter – it costs £745 a night to run the service.
- Volunteer to serve meals at the shelter – shifts are available Monday – Sunday from morning to evening.
- Donate non-perishable food, sleeping bags or clothes to the Winter Shelter – all details can be found on our donations page.
Information on volunteering and fundraising can also be found online.
