Nottingham homelessness charity Emmanuel House Support Centre has opened its Winter Shelter for its 18th year. From Monday 14 October, the charity is 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 the independent charity over £135,000 to run the project for six months.
Increase in homelessness in Nottingham and the UK
Staff are expecting another increase in referrals to its Winter Shelter, 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.
Denis Tully, CEO at Emmanuel House, said: “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.”
• Homelessness doubles in Nottingham city and rough sleeping the highest June figure in a decade
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 Englandi.
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 Emmanuel House’s morning drop-in service at its day centre in Hockley. 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 drop-in sessions with specialist external services such as the Homeless Health Team and the DWP. Guests will also have access to Emmanuel House’s mental health teams.
Since last year’s Winter Shelter closed in April 2024, Emmanuel House has been developing its own portfolio of longer-term single-room accommodation provision. It is 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.
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 the website.
Information on volunteering and fundraising can also be found on the Emmanuel House
website.
Real-life story of our work at the Winter Shelter last year
Sarah* became homeless after losing her job due to ill health, which meant she was unable to pay her rent. This eventually led to her being evicted from her private-rented tenancy and she had no choice but to sleep rough on the streets of Nottingham. Sarah has various physical health issues and really struggled with being street homeless. She was found by Framework’s Street Outreach Team in November 2023 and they referred her to Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter.
Staying at the Winter Shelter meant she had access to support, food, showers and facilities for washing and drying her clothes. Due to the stress of her housing situation, Sarah expressed concerns around her mental health. Our shelter team referred her to Emmanuel House’s Wellbeing Support Team, which supported her with her emotional wellbeing while she was staying at the shelter. They helped her fill out an application form for Personal Independence Payments, which provide financial support for people who are unable to work due to their health.
The shelter team also worked closely with Nottingham Private Rented Assistance Scheme to secure Sarah over 55s accommodation outside of the city. Sarah moved out of the Winter Shelter in March 2024, having stayed there for four months. Once Sarah’s accommodation was secured, the shelter staff made an application to a charity for a cooker, bed and other items needed for her flat. Sarah is managing her mental health and is enjoying living in her own accommodation.
