st james's winter shelter for those on the streets
december 2011 to march 2012: can you help?
Volunteers rota may be accessed here (password protected page)
Westminster Winter Night Shelter – St James’s Piccadilly
The Westminster Night Shelter is an ecumenical project run in conjunction with the Westminster Day Centre – each participating church being responsible for offering overnight space to guests on one night each week between December 2011 and March 2012.
Our night is Tuesday and we will open on Tuesday 13th December. The shelter will be run every Tuesday from approximately 6.30pm to 8.30am between November 2011 and March 2012 (exact times to be confirmed - and it will not be open 27 December).
St James's (SJP) has two coordinators, Debbie O’Brien and Mary Stewart. You can email them here. We need a team of at least 10 volunteers each Tuesday night.
The aim is to provide a welcoming, relaxing, home-like atmosphere where there is a hot meal (guests and volunteers all eat together), company, conversation and a place to sleep – with maybe some music, games, times for play and for quiet.
Volunteer staff are needed to cover three shifts: evening (leaving by 10 30pm); overnight (a minimum of two people, at least one male) and the morning (arriving approx. 7am).
There will be a maximum of 15 guests each night, all of whom will have been assessed and referred from the Day Centre and each will have a case worker. Assessments will be sent to us in advance so we will know a little about our guests. There will be no off-the-street self-referral.
The structure of the evening will be preparation (of food, space, bedding etc); volunteer briefing; welcoming of guests and then meal, socialising, bed, breakfast.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- GIVE YOUR TIME - first, get prepared: You will need attend a briefing. There was good attendance at one that was run recently, and the next is at St James's on Sunday 20 November 2011, 1pm – 2 30pm (bring your own lunch. Please email us with your name and contact details if you plan to attend) If you are unable to attend let us know and we’ll make sure someone can brief you.
- GIVE YOUR TIME - sign up to staff our Tuesday night hospitality: Please email Mary and Debbie giving
- your name and contact details
- the shifts you can do – evening or morning (we need people who can come for longer stretches, anything from 1-4 months, but also people who do whatever they can manage – if it’s a couple of hours let us know which ones.
If you would like to cook (or help cook) add that and choose whether you would rather cook evening meal or breakfast.
OTHER WAYS TO BE INVOLVED
- Can you knit? Scarves, hats and gloves will be appreciated by our guests
- Can you donate books, games (e.g. dominoes, cards, Scrabble); musical instruments (e.g. guitar, mouth organ)
- Do you own an instrument and would like to be involved in singing, making music?
- Can you bake? Cakes, biscuits and such like will be really welcome
- Can you lend kitchen equipment? We are likely to need a slow cooker; baking trays; larger saucepans/frying pan
- Give money - however small a gift, it will help with costs and provisions
All offers to Mary and Debbie please via this email link (click here). Thank you!