Supporting the Homeless and Vulnerable

Aim

To support the homeless and vulnerable in our community and surrounding boroughs

Sutton Night Watch was founded in 2015.  We originally set up as a soup kitchen to support our homeless community at the back of Sutton Station. In 2017 we became a registered charity and moved into the Secombe Centre on a part time basis only. In November 2019 we managed to secure our very own premises based in Manor Road, Wallington and secured a tenancy for 10 years. 

Within a month of opening our fulltime centre we hit a global pandemic, which was Covid 19.  We had to think fast to protect our volunteers and clients, however the management team worked together and kept our premises open through the whole pandemic.  Food pickups continued, we delivered to all our vulnerable clients.  Hot nourishing food was made on the premises and given out to those at the door.  When we could we allowed people into the back garden as it is an open space for safety. We worked with Sutton Council to secure people into accommodation.  It was difficult as most of the team at the council were working from home.   We organised vaccines for all our volunteers and clients if this was needed.  I am proud to say we are one of very few charities that kept our doors opened to help our community during the whole pandemic. 

We provide a vital service by supporting Sutton and the surrounding boroughs homeless and vulnerable people.  We offer food, clothing supplies, online access to job and health services, showers, washing facilities, projects for people that need help with addiction and life skills and a full-time kitchen.  We want to be recognised as a central point from which recovery from homelessness can begin. We would like to become a consolidated hub for signposting people to the right services which will hugely increase their impact on the local community.

• To continue to create a hub like community to enable our clients to access services that they desperately need. 
• We are currently in the process of working with Sutton Mental Health Foundation to secure funding for more counselling services within our borough.  Unfortunately, the average waiting list for these services can run as long as 12 months.  We want to reduce this by adding counsellors in both SMHF and SNW. 
• To develop our Positive Steps and Empowering Lives Project to create a lasting impact in our clients’ lives. 
• To expand our SNW Outlet business.
• To develop more classes to support our projects. 
• To secure salaries for both our counsellors and peer mentors.
• To work with medical professionals to make sure all homeless can access help by having our own drop-in service. 
• To try and secure more sponsorship. 

Long term Goals:  

• To open a new centre in another borough.
• Having a full-time centre opening 7 days per week.   
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This project successfully funded on 20th January 2023