Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
Dear Referral Agency,
With reference to your request for accommodation at the Winchester Churches Nightshelter (WCNS),
please find attached:
 Risk Assessment Referral Form - to be completed and emailed back to us;
 WCNS Eligibility Criteria
 Important information for referral agencies;
 Map of area.
Please note that before we can accept a referral, we will require a National Insurance Number &
details of any benefits received.
Guests are all required to pay £2.00 per night on the door (or £10 per night if working).
We are an alcohol & drug free Shelter & we breathalyse on the door every night and drug test
when necessary.
All prospective guests need to be made aware of this before committing to
come.
Guests arrive at the earliest at 6.00pm each night and are required to leave the Shelter by 8.30am
each morning.
We are not a hostel so guests cannot return during the day time.
However,
there is a local Day Centre (Trinity Centre), only ten minutes walk from the Nightshelter, open
Monday to Friday, where guests may spend the day and eat a mid-day meal if they wish.
A full copy of WCNS House Rules & Information for guests can be found on our website:
www.wcns.org.uk
Please email the Risk Assessment Referral Form straight back to us, followed by a phone call
about 10/15 minutes later.
We will then be able to discuss the referral with you, should you need
a written explanation of the decision we make please do request a copy when calling.
I trust this explains the procedures for you but please contact us if you have queries.
Many thanks.
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
1
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
With best wishes
Michele
Michele Price
Manager
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street,
Winchester SO23 8RZ
01962 862050
www.wcns.org.uk
TO ALL REFERRAL AGENCIES – IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON WCNS
Open every day of the year for shelter, food and support for the homeless.
The Winchester Churches Nightshelter opens every night of the year for admissions
at 6.0 pm when we open.
We provide guests with a bed, wholesome meals, shared living facilities, and a safe, comfortable environment. Our
guests receive more than just food and practical help: with it comes new hope and the vital support and
guidance needed to help individuals find long-term accommodation and permanently escape homelessness.
Guests are requested to leave the building at 08.30 am in the morning, and are invited to use the local day
center for their midday meal and for further help.
We have floating support workers who come in three
mornings a week to aid and assist our guests, and we request that all guests engage with them and make full
use of their services. We are an alcohol and drug free Shelter; many guests have said this has helped them
break a habit.
WCNS currently has 15 beds, and all new guests are admitted for an initial 14 nights into one of our 3 crash
beds where they gain as much support as possible.
If we have a longer stay bed available they are able to
stay on, ideally for up to 3 months when we hope to have assisted them to find longer stay accommodation.
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
2
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
WCNS strives to create an environment in which all individuals can feel welcome as a whole person in their own
right and in which they are treated with respect and fairness.
WCNS does not discriminate against race,
religion, creed, colour, national and ethnic origin, political beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health status, age,
disability, marital status, family circumstances, or social class.
Referrals:

The office is open from 9.0am – 2.0 pm from Monday to Friday (closed at weekends). If you wish to make
a referral we normally decide on our daily allocation by midday so all applications should be made mid
morning if possible, but you can also leave your name and contact details on our answerphone in the
afternoons and our evening staff will pick up the message after 6.0 pm, or we can return your call the
following morning.

Referrals can only be made on the morning the bed is needed as we are unable to pre-book beds as we
are a direct access Nightshelter. We prioritise referrals from Hampshire (this does not include Portsmouth or
Southampton as they are separate authorities), but if we have no local applicants then we take referrals from
outside Hampshire.

WCNS undertakes to provide a good quality service and in order to ensure good practice a strong
emphasis will be placed on ensuring that an effective admissions and assessment process is followed.
This
ensures that only referrals who meet the eligibility criteria and have appropriate support needs are accepted as
well as ensuring that support needs and risks are identified.




The decision to accept a new guest referral or not rests with the WCNS Manager, or night Supervisor.
Please find attached WCNS Referral Form which should be emailed to our office [email protected]
Agencies should then contact the Nightshelter by phone to find if the referral has been accepted.
Please do not assume that because you have emailed the form that a bed is guaranteed.
Accepted Referrals:

guests should arrive between 6.00pm
- 7.00 pm to be admitted in time for the evening meal at 7.30 pm.
No new arrivals will be admitted after 09.30pm on their first night.

Guests pay £2.00 per night (£10 if working) and we need a National Insurance Number if possible (we do
operate a discretionary policy of allowing genuinely vulnerable people a bed (subject to Risk Assessment)
regardless of their ability to pay for the first night, and we need some form of ID.

Guests in 14 night crash beds are not expected to have a night out of the Nightshelter without permission
as they will lose their bed

All potential and current guests are breathalysed upon entry each night, and may be searched on entry to
ensure no alcohol or drugs come into the building.

A full copy of WCNS House Rules & Information for guests can be found on our website: www.wcns.org.uk
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
3
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
NEW GUEST ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
WCNS offers a service to those with Housing Related Support needs, this service is available for
people who meet the following criteria:
 17 years and older (16 year olds are admitted on a short-term basis only and preferably referred
to us by agencies with immediate and urgent needs)
 are not considered, after risk assessment, to be too high a danger to themselves, to staff or
volunteers, or to need more support than we can offer
 are considered safe and suitable for admission by the admissions staff (ie the Supervisor), who
has the authority to determine whether WCNS is able to provide overnight accommodation to a
prospective guest
 pass the breathalyser test on entry,
 fully engage with the Floating Support staff and WCNS Manager during their stay
WCNS also expects that guests will be able to meet the following criteria (we can offer help if guests
have initial difficulties):
 have a National Insurance number
 pay the £2 fee per night before entry (see details below under 2.6)
 have some form of ID
WCNS can accommodate people needing disabled facilities.
If there is more than one applicant for one bed space, the priority will go to those with greatest need; if all
applicants have a similar level of needs, prioritisation will be based on those with a local connection.
WCNS is not able to admit anyone who falls into the following categories:

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


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
Under the influence, or who appear to the supervisor to be under the influence or in possession
of, Drugs, drugs apparatus or Alcohol (we have facilities for the disposal of drugs and drug
apparatus and alcohol before entry)
violent or abusive or displaying intimidating behaviour (or history of any of these)
possessing offensive weapons
with a history of Arson
under a current exclusion order as determined by the Project Manger or if trying to gain entry
having recently been excluded from another local agency before staff can talk to the relevant
agency
families, children and pets cannot be accommodated at WCNS.
anyone not prepared to undergo body and baggage search for banned/excluded items
Anyone under MAPPA*, before WCNS is able to discuss with the authority involved
See next page for Map
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
4
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
Road
On the M3. leave J11 when coming from the south or J9 from north and follow signs to the city centre.
There is limited pay-and-display parking outside Winchester Churches Nightshelter and other public
car parks are well signposted.
Bus
The Park and ride stops a few minutes walk away at the Southern end of Jewry St.
A bus stop is located right outside our main entrance - buses stopping there are, 1, 2, 4,5,6,
7,10,X24/25/26, 68, 86, 95/95A/96/96A, 99/X99.
Train
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a few minutes walk from Winchester station along City Road.
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
5
Winchester Churches Nightshelter
Jewry Street
Winchester
Hants
SO23 8RZ
Website: www.wcns.org.uk - Tel: 01962 862050 – Email: [email protected]
Policy Last Revised December 2008; Next Review October 2009
Winchester Churches Nightshelter is a registered charity, no. 1080443
6