Winter Shelter reopens at University Park
Emmanuel House Support Centre has reopened its Winter Shelter on the University of Nottingham’s University Park campus.
The homelessness charity will offer short-term emergency accommodation for up to 27 people per night at the shelter until April 2023.
The Winter Shelter is located in an unused university building. It offers 24-hour access, which allows support work to continue during the day as guests are helped to find work and long-term accommodation.
24-hour support will be provided to those in need.
Denis Tully, CEO at Emmanuel House, said: “As we enter our second season working with the university, we are delighted to be benefitting from their generous offer of accommodation at a cost-neutral rate.
“The Winter Shelter will provide what we anticipate as much-needed respite accommodation for people who would otherwise rough sleep during the coldest and wettest months of the year. Staff and volunteers have been working hard to get everything in place in the venue on the University of Nottingham campus.
Tully added: “The Winter Shelter is not an end in itself, but a means of supporting people into more permanent accommodation solutions.”
Ashley Roberts, head of campus services and project lead, said: “It’s fantastic to be able to work with Emmanuel House again this year and put an otherwise empty property to good use.
“Last winter it was great to see the university community coming together to support the charity, with lots of donations and volunteers offering their time to help in the shelter. I’m sure our staff and students will get behind Emmanuel House once again this winter and make it a successful partnership.”
University of Nottingham Students’ Union community officer Daisy Forster said: “It’s amazing to see the university helping the community in such an active way, especially when it is such an important time to give back.
“Students are a remarkable asset to the city, and I really hope to get many of them involved with volunteering at the shelter.”
Emmanuel House has operated a Winter Shelter in community halls around Nottingham since 2006. This year’s shelter will cost £1,000 a night to run, which the charity will fund through donations from charitable trusts, private donors and businesses.
