We use a communal rotating model of night shelter. This means that a different church each night of the week will open theirs doors to our guests and host them. Guests can access the shelter at 7.30pm and will receive a hot evening meal, a warm bed and a hot breakfast before leaving at 9am the next day. They can then head to our new day centre to spend time there. The shelter runs for 7 months, from October to April.
Typically we will host between 130-150 different guests each season, of many different nationalities, faiths and backgrounds. Each guest is offered a 28 night stay whilst we work on their case. The need is very much still there.
Guests are referred to GrowTH by Tower Hamlets based referral agencies, such as day centres like Crisis Skylight, Providence Row, Whitechapel Mission and a local GP surgery. As well as the wonderful support and love given by our volunteers, guests also receive resettlement help from our employed Advocate Workers, with a focus on securing more permanent accommodation. On average, in partnership with our referral agencies, we will support 40% of guests into new homes.
GrowTH offers a holistic response to homelessness, and so opportunities are provided to guests to take part in short Bible studies, to receive prayer, or to simply chat about faith and the big questions in life. Many choose to engage, although of course, this is always optional.
GrowTH facilitates the churches to provide hospitality and care to those in crisis. Although the GrowTH staff team manage the referrals and oversee the running of the shelter, the churches do much of the legwork. They open their doors, assemble teams of volunteers, and provide a warm welcome, hot meals, and a clean bed for our guests. It’s a huge task, involving well over 1,000 people over the past decade, and close to 100,000 volunteer hours. We are so pleased that more churches have joined this mission each year since we began.
Our vision is to see guests’ lives transformed. Practically, this looks like breaking the cycle of homelessness. Each guest in the night shelter is allocated an employed Advocate Worker. These workers ‘get alongside’ the guests, aim to understand why they are homeless, and work with them to help them access the most appropriate available support and accommodation. This process can include:
Typical permanent accommodation options include: Shared supported housing, hostels, a flat in the private-rented sector, rehabilitation centres, returning to family either in the UK or abroad and accommodation for asylum seekers.