News and Updates

Dear <<First Name>>:

This update is a bit long, but I'd like to first draw your attention to an important messages to share about shelter opening times.

As you are aware, our shelters open at 8pm, with hot drinks served outside from 7pm onwards. A few reminders to pass on to your teams, please:

• If your shelter has a porch area and you already use this for hot drinks, this must not happen earlier than 7pm. Please do not allow guests anywhere inside the shelter venue before 7pm. This includes not allowing guests inside before staff arrive at 6pm.
• Your Shelter Manager’s decision is final about when is a safe time to allow guests into an indoor porch area. This may vary depending on when the manager has finished their preparation work and can safely supervise the porch area.
• An indoor porch area for hot drinks cannot be used at all if there are children anywhere inside the building, for example if a children’s class is taking place.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss, please get in touch with megan@glassdoor.org.uk. Your help to ensure volunteers respect these procedures is very much appreciated. 

Fortnightly update: 20 January

Shelter update:

• Stats: After the first 60 days of shelter, the number of individuals that have found shelter with Glass Door has increased by about 20% thanks to the addition of the 5^th circuit. THANK YOU to all the volunteers, partners, supporters and staff for providing more people safe shelter than ever before. As of 27 December, the number of individuals who spent at least a night in the shelters are: 
  • Men: 422 
  • Women: 88
  • Total: 510
  • Bed spaces: 8268 

Casework updates:

• Since June 2018, caseworkers have already worked with 950 individuals and helped 114 into housing and 38 into employment. 
• A Richmond shelter guest was placed in Temporary Accommodation (TA) via Ealing Council last week. Another guest has signed a tenancy for private rented accommodation. 
• In the K&C South circuit, a male guest has been placed in the Cromwell Road hostel as part of RBKC’s derogation of duty provision (a temporary relaxation of housing eligibility rules for job-seeking EU nationals).
• In Wandsworth, one shelter guest has started training with the social enterprise Change Please (which helps homeless individuals become baristas). Another guest has moved into accommodation while a third young guest is due to move into accommodation this week. Before Christmas another guests was placed in temporary accommodation via Westminster, another was reconnected to his country of origin and two others started work. A non-shelter guest was also housed from Ace of Clubs.
• From K&C Central, we've had several guests move out of the shelters: a guest who recently joined the shelters has now been accommodated by the Home Office’s National Asylum Support Service while he waits for a decision on his asylum application.  Another guest was placed in Temporary Accommodation via Westminster on Christmas Eve after we helped him to challenge an initial refusal. Also before Christmas a long-term female guest from this shelter was placed into temporary accommodation by Islington, although legal disputes are ongoing. Another guest with a long history of contact with Glass Door and other homeless services in the borough was placed in Temporary Accommodation last Friday by RBKC, who overturned their previous decision that he wasn’t eligible for assistance after we helped him to successfully apply for Settled Status. Also a British guest from this shelter, who’d been with us since the start of the season and was being supported by the Passage, has moved into accommodation. Several other guests have replaced lost or stolen IDs, which will open up options; one has already found work. 
• From H&F another guest move into a Refugee Hosting placement whilst we continue to support him with long-term housing options.

Other news: 

• “3 Ways to find shelter” pocket cards are now printed and ready to hand out to anyone who might be able find it useful. Ask your shelter manager for copies.
• Let us know: We’re keen to know and share what you’ve been doing to make the shelters more environmentally-friendly. Have you been ditching single-use plastics? Writing names on takeaway cups so they can be reused? Composting your Vegware? Using donations from super-markets or food rescue services? Email melissa@glassdoor.org.uk if you have tips to share.
• A winter’s tale: Shelter Manager Ben Davies was asked to recount a memorable moment in the shelters for a pre-Christmas press story. It wasn’t picked up in the end, but we liked it so much we extracted a version for our website. A winter’s tale: an unforgettable night when snowfall brought havoc to central London.
• New blog: Senior Caseworker Neil Parkinson responds to report demonstrating a sharp increase in homeless people attending A&E. Homeless support needed to ease strain on NHS.

Upcoming Events:

• Wednesday 12 February: London Night Shelter Service at St Paul’s Cathedral with Housing Justice. Our overnight project worker Eddie and Volunteer Coordinator Steve Lawrence will be speaking at the event. Attendance is free and open to all with more info online.
• Moravian Church 2^nd hand book sale: first and third Thursday of every month. 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.
• Save the date: The annual thank you event for volunteers and supporters has been set for Thursday 7 May. More details to follow.