Caring for the Homeless

As Christians we believe that a secure and safe home is a basic human right. Unfortunately there are many in our society who fall through the net and find themselves homeless or in insecure accommodation for a variety of reasons.

Over the past decade members of St Michael’s have contributed generously in many ways giving their time and efforts to the city wide charity and in particular to Woburn Sands Winter Night Shelter. On Sunday nights through the winter months the shelter has been hosted at St Mary’s church hall. We offer a friendly welcome and companionship, secure place to sleep, and home cooked food for up to 16 guests. We have taken on leadership roles, volunteered as part of the Meet and Greet, Overnight and Breakfast teams as well as contributing to helping our guests move on in their lives to more secure accommodation and in job applications. The WNS has also benefited financially from being one of St Michael’s chosen charities.

This winter, 2020/21, due to COVID-19, however our contributions will of necessity be somewhat different.

Milton Keynes Council’s ‘Everybody In’ policy for this winter means that all rough sleepers will be offered temporary accommodation, and overnight shelters can only be used as a last resort. So the focus of the WNS is changing to ensure that all who need it will be able to access adequate food provision and welfare services. The Unity Park Bus Station in Central MK will provide the focal point for this provision.

We have still to finalise how exactly members of our local team here in Woburn Sands will be able to contribute. One possibility is through providing meals on a weekly basis. We will give up dates on our Facebook pages.

However your contributions are needed and if you wish to volunteer, in the first instance fill in the application form on the WNS website:

VISIT SITE

The website explains the new roles for which volunteers are currently needed.

If you would like to speak to someone about volunteering, click here.