Newport Night Shelter

Message from guest

newportnightshelter — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 09:00:15 +0000

Until I was lucky enough to have the use of the night shelter I really didn’t think I would go on, but with the care & concern & support of the volunteers. I began to see a light in the darkness and I know that I will make it. God Bless you and thank you always. I will remember your generosity and kindness
- Female Night Shelter Guest

Booklet for the Homeless

newportnightshelter — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 14:50:26 +0000

Good news! The council funded a booklet to be made with useful numbers and times of when you get food and showers during the week.

Lliswerry Baptist Newsletter

newportnightshelter — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 11:00:07 +0000

We started to be involved with The Newport Night Shelter at the beginning of February. Every Friday night we open up the church for the homeless on our streets to come and have a hot meal and somewhere warm to sleep. There are seven churches taking part in the scheme, one for each night of the week.

The guests have enjoyed good hospitality, love, fellowship and good food. It is very hard to imagine what it is like to sleep rough, especially during the cold weather we have had over the last couple of months. So far The Newport Night Shelter has helped about sixty people, and some of our guests have been able to move into permanent accommodation.

The vision is to offer a safe, warm and secure place that is welcoming to anyone over the age of 18 who otherwise would be forced to sleep rough on the streets of Newport.

A female guest wrote “Until I was lucky enough to have the use of the night shelter I really didn’t think I would go on, but with the care, concern and support of the volunteers I began to see a light in the darkness and I know that I will make it. God bless you and thank you, I will remember your generosity and kindness”.

Remember the words of Jesus; “I was hungry and you gave me nothing to drink. I was a stranger and you did not look after me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me”.
(Matthew 25:41-45)

I’m sure that we have made a difference and given hope to our guests. I would like to thank all those who have volunteered to help here at Lliswerry, especially those who have given up their warm beds to sleep in the church.

Rod Webb

Spare a thought

newportnightshelter — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 16:36:08 +0000

Whilst we’re contemplating how to best deal with the snow and ice outside of a morning, it’s worth sparing a thought for those who do not have a roof over their head at this time of year.

It’s something Newport Night Shelter have been doing, and have put into practice, in the first project of it’s kind in Wales.

Their scheme, which started before christmas, planned to give 12 homeless people a warm place to sleep in one of seven churches throughout Newport, every night between November 30 and January 31.

But organisers Newport Teen Challenge say the project has been such a success they will continue providing beds through to March 31.

Night Shelter co-ordinator Jade Holtham was inspired to set up the scheme after working with the city’s homeless in freezing temperatures last year.

After raising £4,000 through volunteers spending a sponsored night on the streets, as well as donations from Gwent police and the Bishop of Monmouth, each church now opens its doors at 7.30pm, providing a hot evening meal and a good breakfast before sleepers leave the shelter at 8.30am.

The scheme is staffed by volunteers from more than 30 churches, as well as Newport Teen Challenge.

Ms Holtham, told the south wales argus that homeless people are ‘often treated like they’re nobody’ and that this scheme makes all the difference.

NEWPORT CHURCHES OPEN DOORS TO HOMELESS

newportnightshelter — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:40:31 +0000

4:40pm Monday 4th January 2010 - By Jessica Best

A SCHEME giving Newport’s homeless people a roof over their heads during the cold winter months will be extended until the end of March.

In the first project of its kind in Wales, the Newport Night Shelter planned to house 12 homeless people in one of seven city churches every night between November 30 and January 31.

But organisers Newport Teen Challenge say the project has been such a success they will continue providing beds through to March 31.

Night Shelter co-ordinator Jade Holtham was inspired to set up the scheme after working with the city’s homeless in freezing temperatures last year.

Despite handing out free food from the Teen Challenge bus, Miss Holtham thought this was not enough to help the 12 to 15 people who sleep on the streets of Newport every night.

She had seen night shelters running successfully in London, and contacted seven Newport churches asking them to open their doors for one night a week to the homeless who are referred by Teen Challenge and 10 other agencies.

The scheme is staffed by volunteers from more than 30 churches, as well as Newport Teen Challenge.

Ms Holtham, 24, said: “To see them have a decent night’s sleep, somewhere warm, it’s made such a difference and you can see it in their physical appearance. People forget that the homeless suffer on a daily basis and are often treated like they’re nobody.”

Raymond Olsen, 29, from Duffryn, was made homeless four months ago when he lost his flat. He has been forced to sleep in city car parks, but has used the shelter since it opened.

“This has been fantastic,” he said. “I don’t worry so much about the cold but the rain can be a real health risk. For homeless people like myself this is a great comfort.”

Hardy volunteers sleep rough

newportnightshelter — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:21:46 +0000

Hardy volunteers sleep rough to raise funds for Newport night shelter

Revd Justin Groves tries out his sleeping bag on the steps of St Paul’s. But many homeless people do not have even this degree of comfort.

Revd Justin Groves, priest-in-charge of St Paul’s, Newport is one of a group of around twenty hardy volunteers aged 14 to 65 being sponsored to sleep outdoors on 27 November to raise funds for a new Newport venture.

The Newport Night Shelter project – the first of its kind in Wales – is a joint venture involving seven of Newport’s churches and Newport Teen Challenge. During December and January, each church will provide one night’s accommodation and food each week for those referred to the project by agencies who help homeless people.

Project coordinator, Jade Holtham, of Newport Teen Challenge, explains that:
“This is a project we’ve been exploring for some time. I spent some time visiting homeless shelters in London and thought that we should do something similar in my home town of Newport.

“Winter can be bitterly cold and wet but we’re hoping that this December and January, 10 – 15 people, who would otherwise be sleeping rough, will have a regular place to sleep and eat. On the same night each week, one church will be opening its doors and letting the homeless people sleep in it overnight. They will also be served dinner and breakfast by the volunteers in each church, with some volunteers also staying the night at the church. The following night, the homeless people will be able to sleep in the next church involved in the project and so on, with their bedding being transferred there during the day.

“We’ve been really encouraged by the very positive response we’ve had from churches, agencies who help the homeless, local businesses who have helped with things like sleeping materials and of course by the number of people who have volunteered to help. We have learnt a lot from the way in which similar projects in London are run, and have adopted their procedures to ensure that the whole project is run as smoothly and safely as possible.

The Anglican churches taking part in the scheme are St Paul’s and St Matthew’s in Newport, and St Mary’s, Malpas.

- Newsletter 183 ChurchInWales.org.uk

CHURCHES OPEN FOR THE HOMELESS PEOPLE

newportnightshelter — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:27:30 +0000

Churches in Newport are opening their doors to homeless people during the winter to provide them with food and a warm bed.

The Newport Night Shelter, which launches on Monday, will help between 10 and 15 people during December and January.

Seven Newport churches will take them in for one night every week.

Around 20 volunteers were sleeping rough in the city over the weekend to raise money for the scheme.

Project coordinator, Jade Holtham, of Newport Teen Challenge, which is helping with the project, said she came up with the idea after seeing a similar scheme in London.

“Winter can be bitterly cold and wet but we’re hoping that this December and January, 10 to 15 people, who would otherwise be sleeping rough, will have a regular place to sleep and eat,” she said.

“ On the same night each week, one church will be opening its doors and letting the homeless people sleep in it overnight ” - Jade Holtham, of Newport Teen Challenge

“On the same night each week, one church will be opening its doors and letting the homeless people sleep in it overnight.

“They will also be served dinner and breakfast by the volunteers in each church, with some volunteers also staying the night at the church.

“The following night, the homeless people will be able to sleep in the next church involved in the project and so on, with their bedding being transferred there during the day.”

She said the churches and agencies who deal with homeless people had all been very positive about the project.

Local businesses have also supported them, providing items such as sleeping materials.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/wales/8383797.stm