WINCHESTER CHURCHES NIGHTSHELTER
To relieve suffering caused by homelessness

'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Jesus' words - Matthew 25

Welcome to the
Winchester Churches Nightshelter

New Lounge - nearly finished!

Building works have now finished and our new IT area and new bedroom space with two additional beds is now open. Picture of new lounge nearly but not quite finished

Very many thanks to all our Supporters for being so extremely generous to us and to the Homeless over the Christmas period, we were thankfully very well supplied with presents for our residents and with delicious Christmas goodies. Thank you to all those who took time out from their personal celebrations to come and volunteer over the holiday period so that we could extend our opening hours. All the best for 2012

Our Annual Report 2011

Our Resources page has the new booklets - 'A Guide to Helping Rough Sleepers in Winchester', 'The Christian Service Guide' and the 'Information Sheet for Rough Sleepers in Winchester'. Printed copies of all of these are available from the Nightshelter office too. See also the new 'CTW Justice and Peace Blog' for latest news across Winchester.

The Nightshelter is an independent local charity supported by the Churches of Winchester, welcoming people who are homeless into safe accommodation and providing specialist support since 1988.

Its aim is to help homeless people by providing a safe, warm environment; a comfortable bed (6pm-8.30am); a hot evening meal and breakfast; advice and support; and vital assistance to prepare for and find appropriate move-on accommodation for permanent independent living.

We link with a network of national and local organisations to help our present and future guests at the Nightshelter. Our aim is to relieve suffering caused by homelessness.

If you are sleeping rough or seeking emergency shelter, please get in touch.
Agencies – if you wish to make a referral, please download the Risk Assessment Form
If you do have a roof over your head but would like to help others who do not, we are always on the look out for new volunteers.
If you are able to help fund the Nightshelter or donate goods, your donations will be greatly appreciated.

The painting of the WCNS is by Dan Cippico 1998 used by kind permission

We are always pleased to hear from anybody interested in the work of the Nightshelter, and are happy to show visitors around. The Nightshelter is a team effort that is only as strong as its volunteer base - so, thank you to all those of you who are helping us in so many valuable ways.

Winchester Churches Nightshelter (WCNS)
Jewry Street (behind the Discovery Centre)
Winchester, Hampshire SO23 8RZ
Tel. 01962 862050
Email: admin@wcns.org.uk.
Registered Charity Number 1080443

The Long Day Out - 28th January 2012

See’s the start of Homelessness week and Trinity Winchester in partnership with Winchester Churches Nightshelter and The Hyde Tavern will be holding a special fundraising challenge. We challenge you to spend a day on the streets of Winchester, see how long you can last with nowhere to go and very little money in your pocket. To take part you need to commit to raising at least £100 in sponsorship. For more info please call The Hyde Tavern on 01962 862 592. To register please download the Registration form & pay your registration fee (£10 per person) Alternatively you can register at the Hyde Tavern in person. If you’d like to help promote this event please download our poster - Long Day Out Poster

In January 2012 we are re-launching the original 2002 ‘Diverted Giving‘ project under the brand new name of ‘Spare Change for Real Change‘.

The project enables local shoppers in Winchester to give their spare change to three Winchester charities rather than giving to people begging in the streets of Winchester which is then often spent on alcohol. The three charities involved are the Winchester Churches Nightshelter, the Salvation Army and Trinity Winchester which are all dedicated to helping rough sleepers and homeless people in Winchester. The project is sponsored by the Winchester Business Improvement District (BID) and many new brightly coloured ‘;Spare Change for Real Change‘ donation boxes are now appearing in shops throughout the city. The proceeds from the boxes are divided equally between the three charities and in 2011 the Nightshelter benefited from a cheque for £1,000. The Nightshelter is responsible for the area of the city surrounding Jewry Street and boxes can already be found in the following businesses: Loch Fyne, Toni & Guy, Warrens, Royal Bank of Scotland, Charters, Spirited Wines, Blues, Intercash Bureau, the Screen Cinema, Bangkok Brasserie, the Discovery Centre, The Sweet Treat Company, Hargroves Cycles, Brasserie Blanc, Prezzo, Wetherspoons Old Gaolhouse, Arcana, Tanoshii and The Westgate Hotel.

Click here if you wish to register for the Swimmathon 2012