News and Updates

Dear <<First Name>>:

As we enter our fourth month of shelter season, we are impressed by the stamina and dedication of all of our staff and volunteers. Thank you for providing such excellent hospitality to guests all winter long.

Please pass on the following messages to your shelter teams:

• Meat donation: We have received an offer from the County Food Trust for substantial donations of meat (enough to feed 1000 people +). These come in large quantities and you would need storage at your venue in order to keep the meat – they are stored in retort pouch so do not need to be kept in a fridge or freezer. If this is of interest to any venue then please get in touch by Thursday 6 February to let us know.
• Butcher voucher: Continuing the meaty theme, we have received 2 x £100 vouchers for C. Lidgate Butchers on Holland Park Avenue. The vouchers are not valid online and need to be used for a single transaction with any remaining amount of less than £20 returned as cash. Please get in touch if you could make use of them.
• Sign-in sheets: We have sent out volunteer sign-in sheets to each of the shelter venues. Please ensure you ask all volunteers to check their name is on the list. If a volunteer’s name is not on the list, please ask them to register, either by 1) Going online to www.glassdoor.org.uk/forvols or 2) Filling in a paper form (copies available from your Shelter Manager). If you haven’t received a sign-in sheet or have any questions about this, please do let me know.
• Expenses: We are changing the way we’re processing volunteer expenses so that your teams receive reimbursements more quickly. You will still need to complete an expense claim form and have it signed by your Shelter Manager. The new instruction is to then post the completed claim form to us, together with your receipts, using one of the new free-post envelopes available from your Shelter Manager. If other volunteers in your team usually make and reclaim purchases, please pass this message on to them.
• Plugging gaps: If you require more volunteers with a few days to go, please do not hesitate to let us know as we can sometimes plug the gaps with one-off volunteers or corporate supporters at the last minute.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss, please get in touch with me at megan@glassdoor.org.uk. 

Fortnightly update: 3 February

Shelter update:

• Waiting list: Women are now waiting up to ten days before a space opens up while men are likely to wait around a week. 
• Teamwork: Thank you to shelter managers Matthew and Rachel for working so closely with caseworker Patricia over the past couple of months to give the best possible support to a pregnant guest and her partner. We’re pleased to hear that they’ve moved into temporary accommodation this week.
• Guest feedback forms: These have gone out and the first responses are coming back. New record: Shelter manager Will and overnight worker Fola managed to have 29 forms returned before soup was served. We look forward to sharing results from all circuits once the data has been translated and analysed.
• Feedback session: Our guests are invited to attend an open discussion to give more feedback on Tuesday 4 December at 2.30pm at the Vestry, St Luke’s, Sydney St, Chelsea. Please encourage guests to attend, especially if you see them on Monday evening or during Tuesday breakfast. Refreshments and travel expenses will be provided at the session.

Casework updates:

• Kensington & Chelsea South: A guest from Eritrea has been placed in temporary accommodation by Westminster council, a guest from Romania has started a cleaning job following successful trials and a Spanish guest has gained a construction skills certificate and is now talking to employers. Caseworkers identified a guest from Slovakia as a victim of human trafficking for the purposes of labour exploitation. They successfully referred him via the National Referral Mechanism and he is now receiving appropriate accommodation and support.
• Richmond: two guests have moved into accommodation. One was supported through the council after Gemma involved LawStop; another was offered housing through Veteran’s Aid.
• Kensington & Chelsea Central: We supported a couple (one of whom had serious health issues) to access permanent housing in private rented studios adjacent to each other. This was after they were unable to access housing assistance from other sources. Caseworker Michelle has continued to work with a guest from last seasons’ shelters and has assisted a woman with a move to a hostel, preventing her from becoming homeless again. At least two other guests have found temporary accommodation from this circuit.
• Wandsworth: In addition to the couple who are now in temporary accommodation via the council, two guests have been rehoused via Two Step and two guests have started work.
• Hammersmith & Fulham: Caseworkers have successfully replaced the lost passport of a guest who needed it.

 Other news: 

• Multilingual volunteers: We are currently looking for multilingual guests to assist caseworkers and help with translations – specifically for Polish, Romanian or Tigrinya speakers or those proficient in British or Polish Sign Language. Please do encourage anyone who can help to sign up here. 
• Lucy on London Live: COO Lucy featured on London Live last week. She joined the director of Housing Justice to discuss how to tackle homelessness as a community. Watch back here.
• Breakfast items needed: Please spread the word that we are seeking donations of jam, cereal, tea, coffee and biscuits. An easy way to donate is via our Amazon wish list here.
• NACCOM membership: The announcement that we are a new member of the NACCOM network was made this week. This is a network of members providing accommodation and advocating for an end to destitution among people seeking asylum, refugees & other migrants. Read more about the network here.
• New case study on our website: Read the story of Robert, a chef who caseworker Alex supported to find temporary accommodation so he could keep his job here.
• Podcast recommendation: Tortoise Media spoke to three women sleeping rough in the UK. The result is a moving portrayal of the vicious cycle of abuse, prison and the streets. Give it a listen here.

Upcoming Events:

• London Night Shelter Service at St Paul’s Cathedral: Our overnight project worker Eddie and volunteer coordinator Steve Lawrence will be speaking at the event on Wednesday 12 February with Housing Justice. Attendance is free and open to all with more info online.
• Ride London 2020 on 16 August: Join the GD team and follow in the bike tracks of some of the world’s best cyclists. Find more info and sign up now.