There has often been some confusion about whether the Ark provides overnight accommodation in the town, and to clarify, the answer is no. We are a day centre, focused on offering advice, support, and basic facilities to those who are at risk of homelessness or living on the streets.
We are frequently asked why we don’t offer overnight accommodation, and the simple truth is that we lack the necessary funding to provide such a service. We already face the challenge of raising the £350K needed annually just to remain operational, and to offer overnight provision, we estimate we would need to nearly double that amount.
That is why we were really excited when Shropshire Council’s Rough Sleepers team came to us in January saying that the government had made additional funds available to councils to help with rough sleeping and asked if we would like to partner with them to provide overnight accommodation in the Ark until the end of March. We jumped at the chance!
We were already hosting the council’s SWEP provision “Severe Weather Emergency Protocol”, which is a statutory service all councils are obliged to run when the weather dips into subzero temperatures, but this new arrangement was to be open every night throughout January, February and March regardless of the weather.
It was agreed that the council would staff it and we would provide volunteer support and host it in our day centre.
Every night at 8pm a member of staff from the Council Rough Sleepers team and a volunteer (when available) arrive to set up the beds, each client has a bedding bag, stored under the benches in the day-centre, with their names on it and a duvet, pillows and blankets inside. At 8.45 a security guard arrives from Clearview Security Ltd and at 9pm we open the door to those who have been verified by the council to come in.
Whenever there is leftover hot food from lunch, it is quickly enjoyed, and additional food donations from the Shrewsbury Food Hub or our generous supporters are distributed when available. Hot drinks, toast, and pot noodles are always on hand and gratefully received.
By 11pm everyone is snuggled up in their beds and often a cacophony of snores can be heard throughout the building (ear plugs were purchased early on for the light sleepers!) The staff and volunteers leave and the security guard stays awake throughout the night keeping everyone safe.
At 7am each morning a member of Council staff arrives and begins the waking up process. Hot drinks are made and beds and bedding packed away for the day before everyone departs at 8am, in time for the Ark staff and volunteers to arrive and set up for the day.
It has undoubtedly been a challenge for everyone involved. The day centre has experienced more wear and tear than usual, and our heating bills have certainly risen. However, it’s Shropshire Council’s Rough Sleepers team that truly deserves recognition for making this happen. They have effectively utilised the additional government funding to provide much-needed support to those sleeping on the streets, even though it has meant countless late nights and early mornings for their small but dedicated team.
At the Ark we’ve supported them as best we can, staffing at least one night and morning a week to give them a break and of course providing our cozy space for sleeping quarters. Over the past 3 months the Ark has provided a warm place to sleep for between 7 and 15 people each night, totaling approximately 720 “bums on beds” this winter. Without Winter Provision they would have had 16 nights of SWEP indoors, but thanks to this new initiative they have had an overnight option for 72 nights this year.
Hayley Thomas-Brown, Rough Sleeper Coordinator for Shropshire Council, staffed the final night on Friday 22nd March and perfectly summed up everyone’s feelings about the “Winter Provision Experiment” closing her email update with the following;
“As Winter Provision comes to a close, I want to extend my gratitude to everyone for their unwavering support. It has been quite the journey, but our collective achievements have been remarkable. My Rough Sleepers team, you have truly excelled. Your dedication to protecting the most vulnerable during winter is admirable.
When life gets hard, try to remember: the life you complain about is only a dream to some."
It remains uncertain whether sufficient funding will be available to continue this initiative next year, but I believe, like many of us in our community, that it’s unacceptable for individuals to be left sleeping in shop doorways during our harsh winter months.
By partnering with the council and other organisations dedicated to supporting the most vulnerable members of our community, we have an opportunity to make a real difference. If we can help ensure their safety each winter, this is certainly a goal worth pursuing.