Charity Number 1158760
THE SHELTER PROJECT HOUNSLOW
TRUSTEES’ ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE FINANCIAL YEAR TO 31 AUGUST 2022
The Shelter Project Hounslow was awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2017
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1. Overview
The Shelter Project Hounslow (TSPH) was launched in January 2012 and brought together volunteers from Christian churches of many denominations across the London Borough of Hounslow. Our volunteers provided a hot meal and shelter to rough sleepers each night of the week over the coldest winter months in their church or church hall.
TSPH has not be able to operate as a shelter for the homeless since the morning of 22[nd] March 2020 from which date local authorities had a statutory obligation to accommodate our guests under the government’s “Everyone-in” policy.
At first, not knowing how long the Covid-19 epidemic might last, we had expected that we would be able to provide shelter again over the winter season from December 2020 to March 2021. Therefore, we retained our project coordinator. However, communal shelters with shared facilities could not meet new government guidelines, introduced before that winter.
The Trustees, together with the project coordinator, our sole employee, were already exploring different ways of sheltering the homeless or, alternatively, offering assistance and ‘sign-posting’ to the lonely and vulnerable in society more generally, including those under threat of homelessness.
By the end of our financial year to 31 August 2021, it had become a concern that we might not be able to operate as a communal night shelter over the next winter season from December 2021 to March 2022 either, or for the foreseeable future.
By then, the Trustees were exploring a potential new direction for TSPH.
2. Project Coordinator
For many years, the London Borough of Hounslow (LBH) referred homeless men to TSPH and contributed a grant of up to £20,000 towards the engagement of a project coordinator.
Just before the December 2019 to March 2020 season, we learned that LBH would not be referring any homeless men to us, nor contributing any grant. As we had sufficient reserves due to the generosity of our church communities, local businesses, and individuals, we were able to open our doors for that season without the need for a grant from LBH.
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In November 2020, as new government guidelines could not be met by communal shelters, it was evident that we could not operate, and we could not expect a grant from LBH for the 2020 – 2021 winter. We had to give our project coordinator formal notice of the obvious risk that the position might become redundant.
However, at that stage we still expected that we would be able to operate over the next winter season (December 2021 to March 2022) so we were pleased to be able to retain our project coordinator with the support of the Government’s Job Retention Scheme.
By the end of our financial year in 31 August 2021, as we planned for the 2021-2022 winter, it was clear that this position was still at risk. By then, it seemed unlikely that we would be able to operate a winter shelter over that winter or for the foreseeable future.
Shortly after that financial year end, in September 2021, we formally advised our project coordinator again that the position was still at risk.
Since having to close our shelters in March 2020, including throughout the financial year to 31 August 2021, we had engaged our project coordinator in a thorough consultation process which included attending meetings of the Steering Group. We first considered how we might provide homeless shelters in compliance with government regulations, and we also explored how we might provide some different services to the vulnerable in society.
As we approached the end of 2021, when we should have been opening shelters for the winter season, offering some form of ‘drop-in centre’ congruent with an initiative of LBH’s community relations team, seemed the most promising way forward.
However, we had not yet identified any alternative way of operating which would attract sufficient funding to retain any employee. Regrettably, we had to make our project coordinator redundant on 9[th] January 2022.
3. Café Together - Pilot
We launched this new venture as a pilot over an initial period of two months from 9[th] June 2022 at one church venue in Hounslow, the Methodist church in Bell Road. For one evening each week over an initial period, we hosted a café style supper when people could meet, enjoy a free home-cooked meal in non-judgemental friendly company and, if necessary, be sign-posted towards agencies which might help them if they had any problems or concerns.
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LBH’s Community Relations Team was represented at meetings of Café Together as it is our intention to offer a service which helps them to meet a clear need in society.
This initiative is focussed on the vulnerable in society, including those at risk of homelessness, with the intention of helping them to address their difficulties before the crisis stage.
4. Café Together – next steps
Following the success of the initial pilot, we have been operating as Café Together at Bell Road Methodist Church since 6[th] October 2022.
This venue will stop operating before Christmas 2022.
Our intention is that from January 2023 we will offer a Café Together service one evening a week in two hubs within the London Borough of Hounslow; Hounslow and Chiswick.
5. Financial Report commenting on the TSPH Financial Accounts 2021-22
This brief narrative is supported by the TSPH 2021-22 financial accounts.
Since TSPH has not been able to operate as a homeless shelter, its income has been greatly reduced. The continued employment of our project coordinator while we still expected to be able to operate again as a communal shelter and his subsequent redundancy costs have depleted our resources. However, Café Together is a low-cost operation due to the generosity of our volunteers and the church communities which allow us to use their venues.
We are confident that our current level of resources at over £17,000 will suffice for several years at the present level of activity. We enjoy good relations with the London Borough of Hounslow and with our church communities. If the scale of our operations and its costs were to increase, we are confident that we would be able to attract the resources to support this.
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6. Trustees and Steering Group
The Steering Group members overseeing the operation of TSPH are:-
Jennifer Corbin – Chairman, Trustee and Member of the Steering Group
Bill Hodgson - Trustee
Steve Joyce - Trustee and Member of the Steering Group
Mary Macleod - Trustee and Member of the Steering Group
Tony Mobbs – Trustee
Margaret Logan – Member of the Steering Group
Peter Simons: Treasurer and Member of the Steering Group
7. Contact details:
Jennifer Corbin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, The Shelter Project Hounslow
Member of the Future of Night Shelters National Taskforce:-
Telephone: 07809 490004.
Email: jpcorbin195@btinternet.com
December 2022
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THE SHELTER PROJECT HOUNSLOW
| Balance Sheet as of: 31-Aug-21 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds Assets Fixed Assets Stock & Debtors £210.00 £210.00 Cash in bank £32,387.01 £1,124.37 £33,511.38 Cash to be lodged Total Assets: £32,597.01 £1,124.37 £33,721.38 Liabilities Creditors < 1 year £1,175.72 £1,175.72 Creditors > 1 year Total Liabilities £1,175.72 £1,175.72 Net Assets £31,421.29 £1,124.37 £32,545.66 Statement of Financial Activities (SOFA) for the year ended: 31-Aug-21 Including a summary Income and Expenditure account: Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds Income London Borough of Hounslow Church commmunities £1,594.94 £1,594.94 Individuals & businesses £1,422.17 £1,422.17 Total Income: £3,017.11 £3,017.11 Expenditure Charitable Activities £8,519.97 £8,519.97 Other £2,059.92 £2,059.92 Total Expenditure £10,579.89 £10,579.89 Net Income (£7,562.78) (£7,562.78) Opening balance brought fwd £38,984.07 £1,124.37 £40,108.44 Closing balance carried fwd. £31,421.29 £1,124.37 £32,545.66 |
31-Aug-22 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds £16,965.77 £1,124.37 £18,090.14 £130.00 £130.00 £17,095.77 £1,124.37 £18,220.14 £395.00 £395.00 £395.00 £395.00 £16,700.77 £1,124.37 £17,825.14 31-Aug-22 Unrestricted Restricted Total Funds Funds Funds £916.63 £916.63 £1,488.96 £1,488.96 £2,405.59 £2,405.59 £15,880.03 £15,880.03 £1,246.08 £1,246.08 £17,126.11 £17,126.11 (£14,720.52) (£14,720.52) £31,421.29 £1,124.37 £32,545.66 £16,700.77 £1,124.37 £17,825.14 |
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