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Shelter Week

Shelter Week 2023

We are really pleased to announce that we will be running Shelter Week this year

OPENING TIMES FOR GUESTS:

  • From 24th December 2023
    We will open at 10am on Sunday 24th December

  • To 28th December 2023
    10am on Thursday 28th December


What We Do

Overview Of Shelter Week

We are a Birmingham Shelter that is open for 24 hours a day on 5 days during Christmas week.

We provide 3 hot meals, snacks and drinks throughout the day, showers, entertainment, companionship and services such as footcare, hairdressing, massage and housing advice.

We welcome anyone over 16 regardless of gender including gender reassignment, race, religion, sexual orientation, language or any history of substance misuse, mental, physical or learning disability or involvement with the criminal justice system.  All we ask is that you show respect to fellow guests and volunteers and comply with our rules of behaviour that are designed to keep everyone safe.

Our Location

St Catherine of Siena Catholic Primary School,
Great Colmore Street, Lee Bank, Birmingham, B15 2AY

St Catherines is situated in the city centre, just off Bristol Street, on the same side as the IBIS Budget Hotel and just down from the O2 Academy

Who do we help?

Typically we welcome between 50 and 150 guests on a daily basis with about half of them sleeping overnight and we have about 50 volunteers on each shift.  This will include a good mix of regular and new faces amongst both the guests and volunteers.

Guests may be homeless, hungry, wet, cold, lost, in poverty or just seeking somewhere to go at Christmas that is welcoming.  We also welcome four-legged visitors as long as they are on leads and accompanied by a two-legged guest.

What We Offer

Food

Three hot meals a day, including a vegetarian option at each meal, and very busy sandwich and tea bar facilities.

Providing the heating is working!

We actively encourage our volunteers to sit and chat with our guests – not only is this a particularly rewarding part of the role, it makes such a difference to many of our guests who experience extreme loneliness.

This year we will open for 5 days from 10am on Saturday 24th until Wednesday 28th December.

We have an excellent stage in the main hall for entertainment. If you are a DJ, singer, perform in a band or have other entertaining skills, then we would love to hear from you.

Our guests are always very grateful for the special services provided by our volunteer service providers as it is sometimes the only time each year that they have access to these services.

In the past, we have been able to offer our guests:

Footcare
Hairdressing
Holistic therapies
Beauty treatments
Help finding accommodation

We are always looking to increase this list and would be delighted to hear from any potential new service providers. 

Security

For the safety and comfort of our guests and volunteers, we employ a professional security team to manage any trouble.

 They search all people coming into the building for weapons and mind-altering substances – guests, volunteers and people dropping off donations.  If necessary, the trustees will provide secure storage for prescribed medication.

Our security team has advanced first aid training so together with the trustees and paramedics can provide help with most medical emergencies.

They are a fantastic team who have worked with us for years and know many of our guests.  They enjoy the Shelter as much as we do and really are part of the family.