First and foremost, our aim is to provide emergency accommodation to those who are homeless and provide support to those caught in the “revolving door” of long term homelessness.

The present Night Shelter, which has room for 20 men and women and is wholly owned by the charity, was purchased from Colchester Borough Council using funding from the National Lottery. If you are homeless and have nowhere to stay then you are more than welcome: provided you are happy to stick to the house rules. We open at 7.15 pm every evening and provided we have space then we will be able to accommodate you. If you need a bed at the Night Shelter please phone to find out if we  have any available. The same applies if you want to refer anyone. As for services and rules please ask a member of staff when you call. A big thank you to our supporters, volunteers and funders for making the Night Shelter possible.

Our client group is a difficult one and there are a whole range of complex and overlapping reasons as to why they are homeless.  They face a number of issues in addition to, but often compounded by, their situation. These issues can include Addiction problems, Mental Health issues, Offending history and often a combination which are difficult to address and support. The isolation and destructive nature of homelessness means that people find it difficult to access the help they need. This is where the Night Shelter plays an integral part in the transition from homelessness to eventual independent living with the Night Shelter staff continuing to support the client for as long as they are in need of assistance.

We prepare our clients to succeed in securing and maintaining permanent housing  by understanding and acknowledging the impact of homelessness on permanent housing placement and identifying the transitional goals and working with them intensively to meet those before they are moved into their accommodation.