Why is The Nightshelter in danger?
As a result of cuts to Local Authority funding, our emergency Nightshelter in Cardiff is in danger of closing. More than 250 people use the crucial service every year. Closure would mean an additional 10 to 12 people would be forced to sleep rough on the streets of Cardiff every night.
We need to raise a total of £21,000 to keep the shelter open. We have been able to secure £20,000 towards the running costs already and we’re working hard offline with fundraising events and bucket collections to raise the rest. Keeping the Nightshelter open for the next 12 months depends on your generosity - we need this Crowdfunding appeal to reach its target so we can keep vulnerable people safe.
It’s not just a bed for the night.
The Nightshelter provides safety, warmth and food. Residents can take a hot shower, use the laundry facilities and enjoy a proper cooked meal. We also signpost people to longer-term solutions so they can escape the streets.
Residents have access to a support worker. Need assessments, risk assessments and support plans are produced. Resettlement, benefits and liaison with health, criminal justice agencies and gateway is part of the core service provided.
The Nightshelter provides 10 beds of emergency accommodation (plus 2 additional emergency beds that have never received public funding) in the Riverside area of Cardiff. Residents can access the Nightshelter between the hours of 7:30pm -9:30am.
It has 5 shared bedrooms, a communal living room, kitchen, bathroom and WC.
The Nightshelter is used by rough sleepers aged 18 and over, including vulnerable women and young people. Shockingly, in the last year, one third of those who accessed the service were aged 18 – 25.
History
The Nightshelter opened in 1998. It was intended as a bridge between the street and hostel and originally was established as a time-limited winter shelter. It was and always has been integrated within the street outreach services that operate in the city. In 1999 it was deemed that the provision was necessary outside of just winter time, and received funding from The Welsh Office.
In 2003, revenue funding received was £155,154. In 2014 approximately £97,000 was cut from the budget leaving just £60,000 to run the service. In 2015 the proposal is £0.
