Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter has seen a 78% increase in people staying at its Winter Shelter compared to its previous year.
Between 9 October 2023 and 8 April 2024, the Winter Shelter provided 5693 nights’ protection for 190 people. Last year’s 2022-2023 project supported 107 people.
When this year’s shelter opened in a building on the University of Nottingham campus, it was accommodating up to 27 people every night. Due to the increasing number of referrals and demand for the service, in February 2024 Emmanuel House increased the capacity to 40 people a night. Trent Vineyard church also provided space for an additional 10 beds in a room at its Arches premises on Lenton Lane from early February for nine weeks.
Denis Tully, CEO at Emmanuel House, said: “Alongside relationship breakdown and eviction from rented accommodation, the eviction of people from Home Office accommodation has significantly contributed to the increased use of this year’s Winter Shelter. The Winter Shelter has played an important role in supporting people through the transition from asylum Home Office provision into more stable accommodation.”
The Winter Shelter provided 24-hour support and three meals a day for people who were rough sleeping during the worst of the winter months. Emmanuel House staff worked hard to find guests more sustainable accommodation, as well as providing specialist mental health support and access to physical health appointments.
Of the 190 people who stayed at the Winter Shelter this year, the charity’s case workers supported 90 people into more permanent accommodation – an average of 3.46 people every week for 26 weeks. 42 people are now living in private rented accommodation, 14 people moved into other types of accommodation, 30 people moved to supported accommodation and four people reconnected with friends or family.
Emmanuel House is looking to continue the success of the project and hopes to re-open the Winter Shelter later in the year. In the meantime, the charity is providing emergency night time-only accommodation at its Hockley support centre.
The Winter Shelter was located on The University of Nottingham campus for the third year running, thanks to the university’s estates team.
39 individual people volunteered at the 2023-2024 Winter Shelter, as well as 26 different groups from local organisations. These groups cooked evening meals for the guests and provided the ingredients.
Viv Dickinson, Head of Accommodation Services at Emmanuel House, said: “Thank you to all staff and volunteers who have worked tirelessly to prevent vulnerable people from returning to homelessness. We’d also like to thank the University of Nottingham and Trent Vineyard for helping us provide shelter for our beneficiaries.”
