Monday, 17 October 2022
The University of Nottingham will offer support to Nottingham’s homeless community again this winter by reopening its shelter on University Park.
Partnering with Nottingham-based homelessness charity Emmanuel House Support Centre, the charity will offer short-term emergency accommodation for up to 27 people per night, from Monday 17th October until April 2023.
24-hour support will also be provided in an unused university building, ensuring there are fewer people sleeping on the streets of Nottingham.
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.
He continued: "Staff along with volunteers have been working hard to get everything in place in the venue on the University of Nottingham campus. 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 at the University of Nottingham, is leading the project. He 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.”
The university is able to offer accommodation to Emmanuel House at a cost-neutral rate and will be working with the charity to support people in searching for jobs, finding permanent accommodation and accessing other services.
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.
Last year’s Winter Shelter, which was open between November 2021 and March 2022, provided 2067 nights’ protection for 72 people. 37 of these people were supported into longer-term secure accommodation, equaling an average of 3.5 people a week.
Emmanuel House has operated a Winter Shelter in community halls around Nottingham since 2006. They have gradually become a key service for homeless people over winter. Over the past 12 years, the Winter Shelter has provided emergency accommodation for 1621 people, of which 952 were supported in finding long-term accommodation.
In March 2020 Emmanuel House’s Winter Shelter moved into a hotel under the 'Everybody In' initiative when the government instructed all local authorities to move all homeless people into single-room accommodation. Emmanuel House then supported up to 50 people a night. The 24-hour wrap-around support this accommodation model offered proved invaluable.
This year, there will be no central funding for hotel accommodation, but running the Winter Shelter in a church hall is also not possible. Many of the guests have underlying health conditions, meaning guests cannot sleep in one large space where any infection could be quickly transmitted amongst the guests and staff.
This year’s Winter Shelter will cost £1,000 a night to run. Emmanuel House funds the service through donations from charitable trusts, private donors and businesses.
Emmanuel House is currently looking for volunteers and sessional staff to work at the Winter Shelter. Information on volunteering, job vacancies and fundraising can be found on the Emmanuel House website.
Story credits
Photo and interview opportunity with staff, volunteers and trustees will be available upon request. Please email rosie.needhamsmith@emmanuelhouse.org.uk for further information.
Faith Pring - Media Relations Manager
Email: faith.pring@nottingham.ac.uk
Phone: 0115 748 4411
Location: University of Nottingham, University Park
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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