IN THE BEGINNING - THE NEED

​

Ten years ago, a team of church leaders in Maidstone recognised a need in our town.  They and countless others were meeting many people in need of help and in need of a home.  That need still exists today.

 

The original planning team were especially concerned about the levels of street homelessness in Maidstone, particularly during the coldest winter months, so they set up a group to discuss how this need could be addressed.  The initial plan and obvious response was to find an empty building in the town centre and set it up as a shelter for the winter.  However, it was eventually decided that a church-based winter shelter would be the way forward, run mainly with volunteers - and so Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter (MCWS) began!

​

MCWS first opened its doors in December 2013, offering food, friendship, shelter and support over the coldest 3 months of each winter.  The original plan was not only to meet the immediate needs of those who were homeless by offering a bed and a meal, but also to offer true hospitality and care to those in crisis.

 

Since MCWS first began, the support we offer has adapted and expanded to meet the ever-changing needs of people in our ever-changing world.  For example, Maidstone Borough Council have a dedicated homeless support team who are doing a great job of finding accommodation for people who become homeless in our town.  However, there are still people they are unable to help, especially at short notice, or those with no recourse to public funds.  Our offer of overnight support is there to catch these people who fall through the gaps, even temporarily, over the winter months.    In addition to providing overnight accommodation and meals for those people, we now also offer meals, advice and support for people who are potentially the future homeless: those who are struggling to pay the rent and bills plus put food on the table due to limited financial resources. 

​

 

WINTER 2024

​

Our 2024 winter shelter opened it's doors on  the afternoon of Tuesday 02 January 2024 and closed on the morning of Tuesday 02 April 2024.  Over this 3-month period we offered:

 

Overnight Accommodation

for people who could not be supported by Maidstone Borough Council, especially at short notice, or for those people with no recourse to public funds.

​

Meals & Hospitality

Afternoons - we served hot drinks & snacks and registered guests for evening meals/overnight accommodation, as required.  At these afternoon sessions our guests also had the opportunity to talk about any concerns and to get support as needed (including signposting to other, more appropriate, agencies).

 

Evenings - we offered hot meals, hospitality and support plus some social interaction between, guests, volunteers and staff in the form of games nights, film nights etc.  

​

Support/Signposting

Our staff and volunteers used their skills and knowledge to know when, how and where to signpost guests to other agencies if additional support was required, for example with medical advice, addictions,

counselling etc.  

​

These sessions were open to people who were homeless, those in temporary accommodation but with little or no cooking facilities, plus people who were genuinely in need of a hot meal and/or support.   

​

Prevention of homelessness

This encompassed all our activities.  For people who were struggling to pay rent, heating bills and buy the basics such as essential food, we offered hot meals and advice on claiming benefits, pensions etc,. 

 

For these people, they are often just one step away from becoming homeless and sometimes just need help with basic necessities or skills to enable them to help themselves.