Transform Housing & Support is planning to run a winter shelter to help homeless people across three boroughs of Surrey. The project is being run in partnership with several local organisations.
Transform has applied for planning permission to run a winter shelter at North Lodge on the outskirts of Whiteley Village in Hersham. A decision will be taken on the application at a meeting of Elmbridge Borough Council’s local planning committee on 15 December.
Transform would provide a basic emergency shelter for up to seven homeless men and up to two homeless women. People would be given a bed for the night, so they have somewhere warm and dry to sleep. They would receive a hot drink and a hot meal in the evening and a simple breakfast in the morning.
The shelter would help people who would otherwise be sleeping rough, for example on the streets, in a tent or in a car. The shelter will be open to people with a connection to the Elmbridge, Runnymede and Spelthorne areas, who do not have anywhere else to sleep.
Subject to planning permission, the shelter would launch in January and run until the end of March, which tends to be the coldest and wettest time of year. The shelter would operate by referral only, with people being assessed off-site and booked in during the day.
Transform is working closely on this project with:
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Runnymede Borough Council
- Spelthorne Borough Council
- Walton Charity
- Whiteley Village
- Elmbridge Rentstart
- Runnymede Rentstart
- Spelthorne Rentstart
- Several local churches, community groups and charities
Transform ran a winter shelter from January to March 2014 for homeless people in Elmbridge. The shelter generally helped three to five people each night, with 218 beds occupied in total during the duration of the project.
