Preparing for the 2017/2018 winter

September is here again, and so our attention turns to the coming winter and our provision and support for those sleeping rough within our city.

On Thursday 7th, we held our first information evening for new volunteers. About 30 individuals from across the city gathered at the YMCA to find out more about the project and it was fantastic to also have so many current volunteers with us to hear first hand about their own thoughts and experiences of the project. We have 2 training sessions for new volunteers coming up next month – Thursday 5th & 19th October at the YMCA North Staffs – please drop us an email or facebook message if you intend on coming so we can organise sufficient resources and refreshments [stokewinternightshelter@gmail.com]

Donations have already started to roll in from various organisations and individuals including ‘Socks and Chocs’, a charity who are supporting the homeless across the West Midlands. [http://socksandchocs.co.uk/] Their donations of sleeping bags and pillows are very much appreciated, as well as their generous agreement to fund some of our emergency accommodation over the next winter. Over the past couple of years, we have found emergency accommodation to be a crucial stepping stone between rough sleeping and permanent accommodation and so to be able to secure some funding for this particular purpose is wonderful. Please contact us directly if you would like to donate to the night shelter project so that we can organise drop offs etc.

Fundraising events are currently in the works to support the work of night shelter this year, so watch this space for more information soon. We are hoping to build on the successes of the Afternoon Tea last November and the Strawberry Tea earlier in June – both of which raised over £1,000!

We thank you for your continued support of Stoke-on-Trent Churches Community Night Shelter – together we are making a difference for those sleeping rough in our wonderful city.

A fortnightly update!- 27/12/2016- 09/01/2017

Here’s what’s been happening within the project over the past few weeks…

Thursday 5th January – New Volunteers Information Evening, YMCA North Staffs 

Last Thursday we had a fantastic session with new potential night shelter volunteers at the YMCA North Staffs. About 20 folk came along to hear Jackie and Kate explain a bit more about the project and what volunteering entails which is brilliant. We also got chance to discuss partnerships with Tesco and The Co-operative within Stoke-on-Trent – great news!

Guests’ Next Steps

• One guest has moved into their own room within a private rented flat this past week which will provide them with a base to apply for the appropriate benefits and find work.
• Another guest was recently accepted at The Lyme Trust in Newcastle, an organisation which provides support to individuals with mental health issues.
• We have been able to provide Bed & Breakfast accommodation for a couple of guests while they have been waiting for interviews etc with accommodation providers.

A Thank You Email

We were thrilled to receive an email from one of the city’s PCSOs praising the work of the night shelter project:

“Without the accommodation and the fantastic support you all offered them over that weekend, there is every potential that this guest would still be stuck in the vicious circle they found themselves in. You provided them with stability and support, at a time that would of been very difficult for us to support them usually and this gave us the platform to continue support when the appropriate agencies returned to work.”

A Fortnightly Update! 07/11/16-20/11/16

What’s been happening in the last couple of weeks, I hear you ask?

Training Session #2 – Led by Toni at the YMCA 

Our second volunteer training session was fantastic, with around 30 volunteers coming along again including some new faces! Nicky Twemlow was set to host the training but was called away at the last moment so a huge thank you to Toni for stepping in and delivering a really useful session on professional boundaries and issues related to this theme. We’ve had some great feedback that we can build on for next year.

Outstanding Achievement Award – Expert Citizens Group 

We are thrilled to have been nominated for an outstanding achievement award from Voices’ Expert Citizens group. Considering we have only been operating for less than a year, this is a really rewarding and encouraging recognition. As a result of this nomination, we have been invited to attend the Expert Citizens’ Insight Conference and Awards Ceremony in December. We’ll be sure to update everyone on what we learn from this event in due course.

Team Leaders Get Together

Last week, our night shelter team leaders got together for some more in depth training and preparation for opening. The team leaders are committed to making a difference and we are so grateful to them for taking on this role.

 

 

A Fortnightly Update! 24/10/16-06/11/16

It’s been a busy fortnight for Stoke-on-Trent Churches Community Night Shelter.

Training Session #1. 30/10/16. Led by Kate Halliday

We had a wonderful first volunteer training session last weekend, led by our very own Kate Halliday. Around 30 volunteers came along which was a fantastic turn out and we covered topics including Drugs & Alcohol Awareness and Mental Health Awareness. The session was held at the YMCA North Staffs who are always so accommodating and have been very supportive of the project so far. Our second volunteer training session is this Wednesday, 9th November, also at the YMCA from 6pm-9pm.

Summary: Volunteer Information Evening 14/09/16

Last night, we hosted our first volunteer evening for the upcoming 2016/2017 winter at the fantastic YMCA North Staffs in Hanley. More than 50 folk came along which was almost overwhelming, and everyone was so enthusiastic and interested in the project.

We kicked off the meeting with a brief explanation of who we are, followed by a short icebreaker to get everybody talking which, despite some significant internal groaning I’m sure, actually went down a treat. Working as part of a team is such a key part of the night shelter so it was wonderful to see people that had only just met having a natter and a laugh together.

Reflection: “Cinnamon Leadership Training” Training workshop, The Cinnamon Network at YMCA North Staffs

Jackie and I attended a leadership training event earlier this afternoon, hosted by the fantastic ‘Cinnamon Network‘ down at the YMCA North Staffs in Hanley. Unbelievably, the session was free and so we went along with the hope of gaining some new insight into project leadership and management, particularly with regard to night shelter.

Getting involved with STCCNS – Winter 2016/2017

As you will have gathered from our website, our volunteer team are what makes operating this night shelter possible. The success of the early 2016 pilot project was a result of the compassionate & enthusiastic individuals that made up STCCNS’s volunteer base.