Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter (MCWS) is a registered charity that was established in 2013 to tackle the issue of homelessness and rough sleeping in Maidstone, Kent.

MCWS brings together churches, church members and volunteers (both secular and non-secular) to provide a safe environment for Maidstone’s homeless community, throughout the coldest months of the year.

We are able to run with the support of over 100 volunteers, who willingly give their time, dedication and experience to provide the help and support our guests need. In addition to our volunteers, we have a small team of part-time paid staff.

Although our local council (Maidstone Borough Council) are doing an amazing job in dealing with homelessness in our town, there are still people they are unable to support, especially at short notice.

Being on the streets over the winter months is particularly challenging, so we open our doors for 3 months each winter to offer support and to bridge the gap for people in need over these coldest months each year.

We resolve to be more than just a bed for the night and work with our guests to tackle the root causes of homelessness, whilst cooperating with partner agencies to secure permanent accommodation, counselling and employment/benefits.

Since the shelter first began, we have evolved and adapted according to need and, in addition to providing overnight accommodation for street homeless people, we now also provide a warm space, hot meals and support for people who are in severe financial need. For these people, they often have the unenviable decisions of whether to pay rent, bills or buy food, which potentially makes them the future homeless. Our shelters give them a warm space to come for a chat and support, plus hot meals, drinks, snacks in an effort to try and alleviate some of their difficulties and help them to find a positive way forward.

The work of MCWS is changing people’s lives!

To enable us to continue opening our doors each winter we have an ongoing fundraising programme and we are also very grateful for additional donations to support our work. A donation of £10 pays for a meal, hot drinks & snacks for one or more of our guests during the winter.

Thank you for your time in reading about Maidstone Churches Winter Shelter and for your potential consideration of support.

https://www.maidstoneshelter.org.uk/