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2024-05-31-accounts

CHARITY COMMISSION Independent examinerfs FOR ENGLAND AND WALES report on the accounts Section A Independènt Examiner's Report R•portto th• trustee51 BEXLEY WINTER SHELTER members of 3110512024 Charity 1184243 no(rf On accounts for the . yeaT ended Set out on pages 8 - 9 I repm to the trustees on my examination of the a¢count5 of the above d￿rity (Ihe TruStI for the year ended 3110Y2024 Responsibilities and As tr charty trustees of the Trust. you are resp)nsible the basis of rnport preparation of the aGcounts in aGcordance wth the reqviTements crf the Charibes Act 2011 (Ihe Act"). I report in respect of my examinab'on of Ihe Tnjst's aG¢ounts camed out under sethn 145 of the 2011 Act and In cafryiTrJ Out my examination, I have followed the applicable trethons given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5Mb} of Ihe Ad. I have completed my examinab"on. I t￿nfiM that no material matter5 have come to my aftenb'on In connection wth ihe examtnation wtiich gives me Cause to believe that in, any material respect". accourrtsng record5 vre not kept in a¢¢ordance with section 130 oftheAdor the accounts do not accord with tr a¢wnting records I have no concems and have com8 across no oiher matteTS in crfftneckn¢)n VAth the examination to whbch attention should be drawrt in order to enable a proper understaTrJing of the accounts to bè reached Independent •xaminerfs statemgnt Signed: Dat¢: 27t03r25 Nam*: KATHLEEN KENNEDY Page1 of9

Rél•vant professional ¢IPFA qualification(sl or body Irf any): Add￿. , 7 OAKIANDS CLOSE DA6 7AP Saction 8 Disclosure Only cornp￿te rf tne examiner needs to h￿h1￿hr matters ot concem (see CG32. Independent examination of ¢harrty ac£ounts. direc*on5 and qUIdan￿ for examirws). Page2of9

BEXLEY WINTER SHELTER ANNUAL REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31st MAY 2024

Charity Details

Bexley Winter Shelter c/o New Community Church S E London 24 Station Road Sidcup, Kent DA15 7DU

Charity number : 1184243

Trustees

Charles Edward January (Chair) Alexa Moody Rev Eucharia Ifeoma Asiegbu Catherine Bird Michael Fredrick Pethick Melvyn Alfred French Rev Melanie Jemmett Rev Edward Rhys Barlow Sean Anthony Knights (Treasurer) Ursula Jean Ayliffe Rev James Richard Charles – resigned 01/06/2023

Activities and objectives

The Bexley Winter Shelter (BWS) is a project run by Bexley churches to help those experiencing homelessness with a connection to the London Borough of Bexley (and sometimes beyond). Set up to provide support during the coldest and most difficult time, the shelter normally runs from January to March each year. Although BWS, at times, works closely with its Rough Sleeping Co-ordinator we are not affiliated with nor funded by the London Borough of Bexley

In an almost repeat of previous seasons, our guests were accommodated in self-contained rooms at two establishments in Bexleyheath, Kent. This was funded by Year 2 of the Night Shelter Transformation Fund, Revenue Grant from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) as well as donations from individuals and other charities. We again continued our provision of an evening meal set in a communal eating context. At a different venue each night, we were able to provide a meal in an environment where the guest could socialise, be welcomed by our volunteers and meet with our Guest Case Worker.

BWS is not an open shelter; people cannot simply turn up and expect to be provided with accommodation and help. With the continued help of the DLUHC grant, we were still able to engage the services of a Guest Case Worker (GCW) who provided the assessment, support, move-on and after care support that previous guests had experienced. Following the departure of our GCW in January 2023 we were able to recruit a replacement. The new GCW started work on 1[st] June 2023 and proved very effective throughout the year.

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As usual, the view going into the season was to provide a holistic, loving approach to our guests to enable them to be empowered and experience God’s presence and love. God’s presence was strong and visible through His work this season. While there were many challenges this time, BWS saw growth and has laid strong foundations for continued development going forward.

Community Code

All guests at the shelter are required to sign-up to our Community Code, which outlines a joint standard of behaviour. Alcohol, drugs and weapons are not permitted on any of the premises and guests may be refused accommodation/entry if they are drunk and unable to sober up or if they are under the influence of drugs. Repeated violations of the Community Code and these conditions resulted in the removal of the invitation to zero (2023, 3) guests.

Achievements and Performance

During the 2024 shelter season

How many people used the night shelter?

The move to providing our guests with self-contained hotel accommodation, together with capacity issues, restricted the maximum number of guests we could help at any one time to ten.

This information was supplied voluntarily by our guests to our GCW or obtained from CHAIN. Unfortunately, BWS is unable to help everyone who comes to us. We can provide help to those who are experiencing homelessness and who have low-medium needs. We may be unable to help for various reasons: for example, poor mental health, drug dependence, or even, unfortunately, just having a pet!

What services did the shelter offer the guests during their stay?

The shelter was open from 1[st] January 2024 to 10[th] April 2024. We did, however, provide accommodation for 4 guests prior to 1[st] January and 2 guests were accommodated into May. Any stay beyond the end of March (our official closing date) was agreed on an individual basis, with the primary

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factors being engagement and how close the guest was to finding permanent accommodation. Each guest was accommodated during their stay with us in a self-contained room in B&Bs in Bexleyheath.

New socks and underwear were provided as well as a range of new or second-hand clothes, along with toiletries. Access to the Citizens Advice was arranged as well as medical professionals.

How the shelter helped people move into more permanent accommodation

Guests were signposted by our GCW, The Rough Sleeper Co-ordinator from Bexley and Thames Reach and supported to complete applications for more permanent accommodation. As a result of these interactions:

On occasion, when a guest moves into accommodation, they need certain provision – bedding, utensils, a TV – which BWS is able to provide from a restricted fund. On other occasions, the GCW was able to fund the move-on items from other charities.

What preparations took place for the new shelter season which began in January 2024?

DLUHC (now MHCLG), recognising the benefits of moving away from the rotating dormitory style operation to permanent single roomed accommodation, offered a three-year grant in a programme called Night Shelter Transformation Fund . 2024 saw BWS move into the second year of its Revenue Grant which continued to enable us to make some plans for three years. However, without Capital and/or a benefactor to supply premises at a peppercorn rent, BWS continues to work on the basis of B&B accommodation. We looked (and are still looking) into Hope into Action, pods, utilising an empty local property and hotel/B&B accommodation. As previously, all options slowly ground to a halt apart from the use of hotel/B&B accommodation. The DLUHC grant provided BWS with sufficient funding to provide hotel/B&B accommodation for up to ten guests at a time, to engage the services of a Guest Case Worker for another year, provide move-on help and assist in finding long-term accommodation for homeless men and women.

Following the departure of our Guest Case Worker in January 2023 we were able to appoint a replacement on 1[st] June 2023. Regular meetings were scheduled for the season between BWS and London Borough of Bexley (LBB) to discuss referrals, guests, and process. Thames Reach, Housing Justice (HJ) and DLUHC were also involved. These allowed us to address concerns and flag situations early.

The week leading up to the 1[st] January was used to secure self-contained rooms for guests at B&Bs in Bexleyheath, refining the referral process with Thames Reach and LBB, and producing and finalising the Referral Pack and New Guest Assessment Packs for BWS. Everything was finished and confirmed by the end of December 2023.

Community Involvement

We again adopted the model of accommodation in a B&B/Hotel with the provision of an evening meal in three local church premises. The purpose being community and friendship. We aimed to provide evening meals each night of the week and approached our volunteer base and the local churches. In the end we had three venues, all in Bexleyheath: Trinity Baptist Church, St John Vianney and The

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Salvation Army. This meant that we could provide meals on every evening of the week, although that didn’t mean our guests availed themselves of this. There is no compulsion to attend the meals. The guests are, of course, free agents and as such are allowed to choose to do their own thing , which many did, so only a limited number of guests attended the meals at any one time.

The multi-church involvement in regards to many of (but not all) the volunteers, venues & Trustees witnessed to the truly ecumenical and community character of Bexley Winter Shelter.

The number of churches involved was around 14 (2023, 30), although not every volunteer identifies their church or attends a church, whilst the number of volunteers was 64 (2023, 60). The total number of volunteering time was 2,250 hours. Others also supported us in one way or another, e.g. fundraising, praying for BWS, the guests and associated bodies throughout the season. In addition, the Al Ihsaan Community again provided ‘goody bags’ of personal items for our guests and Bexley Foodbank provided items like baked beans and soup for our evening meals.

A Thank You event was held in June at Trinity Baptist Church Bexleyheath where some 30 (2023, 28) people enjoyed the Chair’s Report, a short church service followed by afternoon tea. The attendees included BWS Trustees, volunteers, our GCW and a representative from Housing Justice.

Governance Structure

Trustees

The Charity Trustees manage the affairs of Bexley Winter Shelter, ensuring the activities are in line with the Objectives of the Charity outlined above. Decisions taken by the Trustees throughout the year have taken into account the Charity Commission’s Public Benefit guidance.

It is the duty of each Trustee to exercise their powers and to perform their functions as a Trustee in the way they decide in good faith would be most likely to further the purposes of the Charity.

Eligibility for Trusteeship

Appointment of Trustees

There should be not less than three nor more than 12 elected Trustees.

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Some of the Trustees named within this Report were appointed without an election, the founding members, with newer members being voted in by the serving Trustees. A number of them were sourced from previous volunteers or individuals connected with the Shelter during previous shelter seasons. New Trustees were individuals who expressed an interest in ensuring the work of the Shelter continued and were interviewed by the Chair of the Trustees &/or other Trustees prior to appointment. They were all supplied with the documents recommended by The Charities Commission.

Further details on the appointment of Trustees, their responsibilities and the structure of the Charity can be found in the Constitution of Bexley Winter Shelter.

Signed off by

Charles Edward January, Chair of Trustees, 23/03/2025

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Bexley Winter Shelter

Analysis of income and expenditure Selected period: 01 June 2023 to 31 May 2024

Total
General
Designated
Restricted
This year
Last year
Income and endowments from:
Donations and legacies
D01 - Personal Donations
D02 - Corporate Donations
D04 - Church Donations
D05 - Donations From Other Charities
D07 - Anonymous Donations
D08 - Personal Donations - Gift Aided
D10 - Church Donations - Gift Aided
Donations and legacies Totals
Income from charitable activities
Income from charitable activities Totals
Other trading activities
Other trading activities Totals
Investments
D09 - Bank Interest
Investments Totals
Other income
D03 - Grants
D06 - HMRC Gift Aid Reclaim
Other income Totals
Income and endowments Grand totals		 £2,747.60
0.00
£20,000.00
£22,747.60
£42,310.00
£570.89
0.00
0.00
£570.89
£508.92
£1,750.00
0.00
0.00
£1,750.00
£100.00
£2,455.03
0.00
0.00
£2,455.03
£350.00
£811.47
0.00
0.00
£811.47
£1,298.66
£613.68
0.00
0.00
£613.68
£540.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£8,948.67
0.00
£20,000.00
£28,948.67
£45,107.58
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£1,761.34
0.00
0.00
£1,761.34
£182.00
£1,761.34
0.00
0.00
£1,761.34
£182.00
0.00
0.00
£63,784.00
£63,784.00
£73,100.00
£2,119.27
0.00
0.00
£2,119.27
0.00
£2,119.27
0.00
£63,784.00
£65,903.27
£73,100.00
£12,829.28
0.00
£83,784.00
£96,613.28
£118,389.58
Expenditure on:
Raising funds
Raising funds Totals
Expenditure on charitable activities
E01 - Food For Guests
E02 - Bed & Breakfast Accommodation
E03 - Guest Case Worker
E04 - Move On Assistance
E07 - Catering Equipment
E09 - Bedding
E14 - Administration
E16 - Guest Referrals
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£4,065.40
£4,065.40
£2,530.73
0.00
0.00
£53,991.90
£53,991.90
£42,836.70
0.00
0.00
£12,389.11
£12,389.11
£7,731.42
0.00
0.00
£1,546.04
£1,546.04
£1,783.84
£44.89
0.00
£12.65
£57.54
£309.99
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£217.50
0.00
0.00
£217.50
£221.15
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00

(24 March 2025 5:07 pm) Page 1 of 2

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Total
General
Designated
Restricted
This year
Last year
E17 - Guest Travel
E18 - Toiletries
E19 - Utilities Contribution
Expenditure on charitable activities Totals
Other expenditure
E05 - Insurance
E06 - Training
E08 - Other Equipment
E10 - Fees & Subscriptions
E11 - Cleaning
E12 - Website, Email & Phone
E13 - Gratuity
E15 - Stationery & Printing
Other expenditure Totals
Expenditure Grand totals		 0.00
0.00
£252.00
£252.00
£129.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£4,817.26
£4,817.26
£2,729.97
£262.39
0.00
£77,074.36
£77,336.75
£58,272.80
0.00
0.00
£680.73
£680.73
£636.55
0.00
0.00
£109.46
£109.46
£288.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£813.00
0.00
£3.00
£816.00
£810.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
£716.16
0.00
£687.50
£1,403.66
£2,639.11
£216.99
0.00
£155.00
£371.99
£168.66
£78.01
0.00
£45.96
£123.97
£233.01
£1,824.16
0.00
£1,681.65
£3,505.81
£4,775.33
£2,086.55
0.00
£78,756.01
£80,842.56
£63,048.13

(24 March 2025 5:07 pm) Page 2 of 2

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