For the 7^th year running, Bristol churches have come together to run a shelter for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough. As in 2021, central government funding from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities (DLUHC), has enabled the block booking of a bed and breakfast. Shelter manager, Amanda, shares how it’s been going so far.

Open during the harsh winter months

Bristol Churches Shelter is located at a central B&B, with 9 guest rooms for the sole use of our guests, who have 24 hour access and a key to their own room, which gives them their own space and dignity. Guests either have an ensuite or access to a shared bathroom. People are referred to us by St Mungo’s and the majority have been sleeping rough but have low support needs. Like last year, the shelter is open from the start of November through to the end of March, covering the harsh winter months that can be deadly for rough sleepers.

Time to rebuild lives

The aim for guest’s stay is for them to have time to rebuild their lives and move on into more permanent accommodation. Over the 5 months, we will help around 20 guests. Currently, we have one guest waiting for a reconnection with family in Morocco, four guests have paid work and are saving up to get their own private tenancy, another is looking for security work and a private tenancy, and three others are looking for construction work and their own place to live. Each guest has their own caseworker from St Mungo’s and we have already been able to facilitate several meet ups with case workers at the shelter. We also had one of the empowerment workers from the Hope into Action team visit one of the guests and discuss a possible referral into one of the Hope into Action homes.

A brief case study of a shelter guest

One guest went through a relationship breakdown but managed to continue with his night shift work whilst rough sleeping. The difference staying with us has made is that he no longer has to come back to a cold wet tent and try to sleep during the day. He has a safe, quiet place to sleep, 3 meals a day, access to washing machines, tumble dryers and a hot shower, and a place to charge his phone. He is so grateful to the churches for the opportunity they have given him to get back on his feet.

Connecting guests with the right services

Every week, shelter staff meet with the Rapid Rehousing team and discuss each guest, their situation, and connect each guest with the right services for their situation. (The Rapid Rehousing team is made up of representatives from the Bristol City Council private rental team, Supported Lettings, WRAMAS [welfare rights and money advice service], Move In, Move On and Move Up team, the Homelessness Prevention team, and St. Mungo’s Rough Sleeping prevention service.)

One Thursday in November, the Move in, Move on, Move UP team came to the shelter and met with guests one-to-one – this will continue on a regular basis. The team handed out laptops to help guests access employment, courses and accommodation. They worked with one guest to help him get back into work by buying him tools. They helped another access security courses, and others specific English language courses to meet their needs. It was an awesome morning and we are looking forward to their next visit. 

Churches working together

The shelter is a joint expression of God’s love for the poor and it couldn’t run without the support of churches. There are approximately 150 volunteers involved in the whole project, from more than 20 churches. The volunteers lovingly cook evening meals, prepare lunches, pray, donate supplies, serve at the shelter, befriend guests and much more.

Future plans for Bristol Churches Shelter

Bristol Churches Shelter won’t be able to continue to access funding from DLUHC in future years, so we are looking at ways in which the project can be financially stable. This involves finding a building that we can use for the long term, possibly renting out the building for the summer months to offset the cost of the winter use.

We are looking for churches who:

• Have a building in or around central Bristol that could be used,
• Can commit to raising teams of volunteers,
• Can commit financially to the project on an annual basis.

We are calling churches from all denominations from all areas of Bristol to come and get involved.

Get in touch with Amanda, Bristol Churches Shelter Coordinator, for an informal chat.

07507 735798

bristolchurcheswintershelter@gmail.com

Follow the Bristol Churches Shelter Facebook page here, or sign up to receive email updates from Amanda here.