About the Organisation
Hackney Night Shelter has worked with the local community to provide shelter and support people facing homelessness for over 25 years. Our vision is to provide routes out of homelessness for people in need.
Initially established as a winter-only night shelter with services delivered across various local church halls, we now provide year-round emergency shelter for people experiencing homelessness in static locations, with structured individual plans to assist them to move into longer term accommodation.
We operate one mixed night shelter and one women-only night shelter, to offer emergency shelter for up to 26 people per night.
Our main (mixed) shelter is based in disused offices and provides accommodation in shared bedrooms. Last year we supported over 100 people, with an equal ratio of men and women whose ages ranged from 18 to 73. The shelter runs year-round with guests arriving from 6:30pm and leaving at 9am each day. This is a unique, proactive, and cost-effective project as the building is rent free, it is staffed primarily by volunteers, and the support workers are provided by an outside organisation.
The profile of our guests are non-addicts, with low support needs. They are people who have recently lost their accommodation and our aim is to return them back into a home of their own as soon as possible.
The current Women’s Night shelter is a rented house from a local church, but this is far too small for our purposes and expensive with the current rent at £32,000. The space lacks facilities, is not in an ideal location and is not accessible for those with mobility issues.
Request details
Hackney Night Shelter are keen to locate alternative premises from which to run their women’s night shelter.
They have experience of converting disused office spaces and a huge amount of support from the local community, with a bank of 300+ volunteers who are able to help clean and decorate any new space they are offered.
Hackney Night Shelter would therefore welcome offers of support with identifying suitable properties to provide safe emergency accommodation for women facing homelessness.
Their requirements are as follows:
- Minimum one year lease.
- Ideally provided free of charge, a peppercorn rent system, or under £26,000 per year
- Accommodate a minimum of at least 8 women (and up to 22).
- Ability to install their own showers or access existing ones and ability to make some small renovations if needed.
- Close to, the London Borough of Hackney.
- Open to different size spaces and have not specified a square footage.
Timeline
ASAP