Waltham Forest Churches’ Night Shelter 

April: Teams of volunteers are now regularly going to the Night Shelter on the first and third Sundays of the month. This is not an onerous task, as all we are required to do is to cook and serve the meal and wash up. However, only a relatively small number of people do the actual planning, shopping and cooking the meal, and it would be useful to have some more, to increase our options when some of the regulars are not available. Is this something you could do occasionally? Perhaps two could get together and do it between them. The church provides the money for the food. If you could help in this way, or would like more information, see me or Lisa M.

fter several years of serving on the board of trustees, I have found it necessary to take a break. Would anyone be willing to take my place? There are monthly board meetings to support the management and to make policy decisions. If you feel that this is a role you could fill, please talk to me.

“Branches” Service – Sunday 26th February

We have been invited to lead the service at the new Permanent Night Shelter on Sunday, 26 th February, at 5.00 pm . This service will only last about half an hour, but it would be good to get a number of people from LUFC together to be part of it, and to share this experience. Please see Alison if you can help - before she sees you!

Night Shelter

The Night Shelter celebrated its official opening last month, when the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, came to meet the residents and staff. There were speeches outside in the cold as there was not room for everyone inside, then the Archbishop unveiled a plaque commemorating the day– not by cutting a ribbon, or pulling curtains, but by removing a sleeping bag!

The Night Shelter is full and eleven people have been moved on into more permanent accommodation since it opened. We are now sending a team to provide the evening meal on the first and third Sundays of the month. Lisa Moon has kindly offered to co-ordinate the second night. Most volunteers will only go once every two months, but we could still use some more, especially anyone who could take on the actual planning and cooking of the meal. We need shampoo and washing powder, too!

If you want to volunteer as an individual at other times, there are plenty of things you can do, from befriending to sorting clothes. There are volunteer application forms available, or see me.

Joy Park

Night Shelter, or CHIPS to you

The time has finally arrived! This Sunday evening we will be cooking at the new Night Shelter in Walthamstow for the first time. I don’t quite know how it will work out, but I sure it will be quite an experience (Will there be chips on the menu? Ed.). Thank you to all who have been working and praying towards this moment, and all who have offered to help. Quite a number of volunteers have come forward, thank you all so much – maybe enough for LUFC to do two evenings a month. Is there anyone who could take on the responsibility of organising the second evening? Think about it!

Joy Park

The church hosted the night shelter on Sunday evenings for some of the winter months, from November to March.  Between November 2001 and February 2002 it had, in the different churches, an average of 21 clients a night. Over 150 different clients have used the night shelter in the past four months. More information about the arrangements for the shelter can be found on the night shelter’s web site.  Plans are being made for a permanent night shelter.

December: We went for our first session at the new Shelter centre at the beginning of November. Thanks to the surplus from Lisa’s “earthquake “ meal, we had little cooking to do. The curry and dahl were very much appreciated by staff and residents alike! The Shelter kitchen will take some getting used to – we are all used to a bit more space – but the centre itself is much better for the residents. The next session has come around already, and we shall be back there this Sunday evening, 4 th December. We have enough volunteers at the moment so that each person needs to attend only about once every three months. I am still thinking about doing two sessions a month, but I would like someone else to volunteer to coordinate the second one. Any offers?  

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams (who came to open the Credit Union last year), is returning to Waltham Forest on 14 th December to open the new day-and-night centre premises formally, and we are most grateful for his support.

July: Building work is now in progress at Meadow House, our new venue, and Night Shelter is on schedule to re-open in September. Volunteers from LUFC will be responsible for the evening meal on the first Sunday in each month. I really do have to start collecting names of volunteers now, so if you can help in any way please let me know as soon as possible. Transport will be provided. This is a new and exciting phase of our work with the Night Shelter and I believe it will be a positive experience for all concerned.

 

May: The End of an Era. Last Sunday we opened our doors to the Night Shelter for the last time in this building. I never like “last night”, but the sadness of closing was tempered this year by real hope for the future. It will never happen again! The new, fixed-site, all-year shelter will open in September in Meadow House, Forest Road , Walthamstow.

Yes, it really is happening this time! The contract for building work has gone out to tender and the steering group is working hard to formulate the policies for the new partnership between the Night Shelter, Day Centre and Christian Kitchen. Last Saturday we all met together to talk about our aspirations for the new centre. This church has committed to cooking and volunteering on the first Sunday of each month. If we have enough volunteers, I would like to do two nights a month - more about that in the next issue of Focus.

 

We have come a long way. Eight years ago the local churches opened for two months for ten people a night, using all volunteers – the night shift was hell if you were going to work the next day! For the last few years we have accommodated twenty-five people, have had paid staff to help the volunteers, and have been open for six months. None of this would have been possible without our loyal band of volunteers, and I would like to thank everyone who has dedicated themselves to this task over the years. Many lives have been touched, many found accommodation.

 

“Thank you for treating me as a human being”. . . Need I say more?

March:We are now into what should be our last session of Night Shelter at this church. I know I have said this before, but the new shelter is well on track to open in the summer. Don't forget though, we will still be involved and still sending volunteers!

The rota is finalised for the first few weeks, but there is still room to volunteer - I never turn away eager hands. I could particularly use another cook, and someone else to come in on Monday mornings. This point was picked up and put in the local paper last week and we have had four volunteers from that - excellent news.

Keep an eye on the church screens each week for an update on supplies that are required. That is the best way of preventing a glut of one thing, and not enough of another.

Pants, socks, and good, warm clothes are always required.
We currently do not need any more soap or toothpaste, but disposable razors and toothbrushes are always in demand. We have had a very generous donation of soup from the Salvation Army, so we will not need any of that, or baked beans, but coffee and loose sugar are always needed. Could anyone pledge to bring four loaves of bread or 10 pints of milk each week?

Please remember the Night Shelter, the residents, staff, volunteers and the new project in your prayers. Thank you!

February:Good news at last! Planning permission has been granted for the development of the first floor of Meadow House in Forest Road, Walthamstow, as a permanent Night Shelter. This means that the vision of an all-year, round-the-clock service for street homeless people in Waltham Forest can now become a reality. The Branches Day Centre operates downstairs and the two projects will be integrated to form a seamless service, giving greater stability and a better chance of re-integration into society for this most vulnerable section of our community. Much work still needs to be done, both on planning operations and preparing the building. Work should begin in April and we hope to open in the summer.

In the meantime, Night Shelter continues to rotate around the churches. We start again here at LUFC in March, and I will be looking for volunteers to cook, wash up, put up beds and generally help out as usual. If you have never volunteered before, please ask me for more information.

December/January: Night Shelter is now well under way. Twenty-four homeless men and women have slept in the church for the last two Sundays. Although the volunteers’ rota is complete, it would be useful for any new potential helpers to come and observe while we are fully staffed. So if you would still like to be involved, please talk to me.

The planning application for the new static site above the Branches Day Centre in Walthamstow will be heard this month. Please pray for this, and for the steering group being set up to co-ordinate the work of the day centre, the night shelter and the Christian Kitchen.

The Christmas Shelter project will begin on Christmas Eve (venue to be confirmed) and run until 4 th January. Volunteers are required for the whole of this period. I hope to take a team to cook one of the evening meals (date to be confirmed). If you would like to volunteer for other days, there is a list and contact details on the notice board in the Concourse.

Finally, please keep those practical gifts coming in:

Toiletries – toothbrushes, disposable razors, shaving foam.

Good warm clothes – especially mens’ socks and underpants, jeans shoes, jumpers, hats, scarves etc and large holdalls/sports bags. There is a particular need for large men’s shoes and jeans.

Non-perishable food – coffee, tea, loose sugar, breakfast cereal, soup (all the same if bringing several), tins (no baked beans please!)

 

October: The summer is over and we are thinking again of the winter Night Shelter. The AGM was held on 18th September, when a presentation was given about a new project to set up a permanent shelter. This will be above the “Branches” Day Centre in Forest Road, Walthamstow, run by the YMCA. The building belongs to the YMCA and the first floor, which is currently offices, will be leased to the Night Shelter. We were shown plans for a shelter accommodating up to 23 residents. The local residents were contacted and an open evening held to show local people and councillors the plans, but there was no opposition. The planning application is soon to be submitted, and we are hopeful that this time it will be passed.
This project will require a complex partnership between the Night Shelter, the Branches Day Centre and the Christian Kitchen, so that eventually there is a “ 24/7/52” service. A steering group is being set up to organise this and a lot of work is still to be done. Please pray for this project.

In the meantime, the rolling night shelter has already opened at the Crest Community Centre, where it will be every night for six weeks, before coming out to the churches in mid-November. Our first night will be Sunday, 21st. Our first stint will be quite short, just five Sunday nights until Christmas.

As usual I will need volunteers to cook, help serve, wash up, put up beds and just generally be around to chat and help out. The evening shift is from 7.15 pm to about 10.00. We also need help in the morning from 6.15 am to help with breakfast and clearing up. If you have never volunteered before, there are plenty of old hands to show you the ropes. The list is on the Concourse table for volunteers’ names. If you want more information, please email Joy.

We also need our usual supplies of:
Toiletries - toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, shaving foam, shampoo.
Good warm clothes - especially men’s socks and underpants, jeans, shoes, jumpers, hats, scarves, etc and large holdalls/sports bags.
Non-perishable food - coffee, tea, loose sugar, breakfast cereal, soup (all the same if giving several), tins (no baked beans, please!)

For the Waltham Forest Churches’ Night Shelter website, click here

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Last Updated On April 16, 2006