Additional shelter for anyone sleeping rough in Norwich is being provided every night throughout winter, building on the success of the city’s approach in previous years.

The winter night shelter is available every evening from November to March, providing additional beds for anyone in need of accommodation. This set up means severe weather arrangements do not need to be formally triggered in response to a drop in temperature, as emergency beds are available throughout the winter months.

This provision goes beyond the year-round daily outreach service delivered by the Pathways team and the specialist organisations behind it, so will be targeted at those not accessing accommodation through these routes.

In addition to existing support and offers of accommodation to anyone currently rough sleeping, outreach teams will be focusing on offering advice to anyone on the streets, providing additional support and handing out warm clothing when the temperature does drop.

The shelter is again kindly provided by the Roman Catholic Cathedral and Norwich Central Baptist Church, who have already proved to be welcoming, flexible venues.

Councillor Cate Oliver, Norwich City Council’s cabinet member with responsibility for rough sleeping strategy, said: “Rough sleeping is a complex issue and accessing a bed at a shelter is often an individual’s first step to engage with services who can support them.

“Thanks to our proactive, collaborative strategy we can be confident that emergency beds will be available for people throughout the winter, no matter what the temperature is.

“A huge thank you to the venues involved in providing these extra spaces for people, and to all of the organisations and volunteers involved in supporting anyone sleeping rough throughout the year.”

Anyone needing a bed at the winter shelter will need to be referred by the Pathways team or city council, who can make sure everyone in need can get the support that they need and moved into longer-term accommodation as quickly as possible.

If you are worried about someone sleeping rough, please report any concerns through to www.streetlink.org.uk

The winter shelter is designed to complement the established services already available in the city. These include the ‘Somewhere Safe to Stay’ hub which provide spaces to sleep to those who need it while their accommodation needs are assessed and The Feed’s Nourish food service. Existing hostels also increase the beds they can offer during the winter to make sure certain groups such as under 25’s and female only beds can also be offered suitable provision.

Day time support is also available at the following locations:
• The Arc 8am to 3pm
• Vulnerable Adults Service – 9am to 5pm
• Under 1 Roof – 9am to 2pm
• St Stephens Church 10am to 3pm
• Doorways drop in service Midday to 3pm