Night shelters

If your place of worship wishes to start a night shelter you must contact your insurance provider as this activity may not be covered under your church insurance policy due to the high risks involved and you may need to seek additional cover.

You must carry out a full risk assessment for the night shelter in addition to the health and safety requirements for the church. This should include proper consideration for smoking requirements. The risks at your premises continually change and your risk assessment should be regularly updated. New health risks may develop such as the Covid-19 pandemic or other new risks to the public may evolve. New risks could also develop as a result of deterioration at your premises and there will obviously be added risks in running a night shelter itself.

Please see the risk assessments section.

Much like risk assessments, health and safety assessments and policy updates should be done regularly. You will need to make sure that your facility meets the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. In terms of running a night shelter, you should have clear documentation of how your night shelter is run and keep a record of what has been done.

Ensure that food provided complies with current safety and hygiene requirements.

You must make sure that your premises are kept clean and properly equipped. Food must be hygienically handled. Employees and volunteers must be appropriately supervised and be instructed and/or trained in food hygiene matters.

For more information on food safety and legislation visit the Food Standards Agency's website or contact your local authority.

Night shelters not only provide shelter for the homeless, they also provide a safe space for vulnerable people. Although assumptions should not be made about the status of any individual, there is a higher likelihood of vulnerability in the homeless community. Your employees should be adequately trained to deal with vulnerable people. Training should also be provided for health and safety and fire safety.

Traditionally, night shelters offered shared rooms and have a frequent turnaround of guests. The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted that this system increases the risk of infection spreading and resulted in the closure of many night shelters. Others adopted systems with private rooms and individual washing facilities, sometimes partnering with venues like hotels or hostels. Currently, there are no requirements for night shelters to implement social distancing in England since lockdown restrictions were lifted. However, it is strongly recommended that you consider what is reasonable for your specific circumstances and refer to the Government website. The government encourages the self-contained model and emphasises that final decisions have to be taken at a local level to meet local needs. Shared accommodation should only be offered after consulting with public health colleagues and local authorities.

It is generally recommended that night shelters keep a record of each guest’s stay so that they can identify possible interactions if for example someone receives a positive Covid-19 test. Consider including: a sign-in sheet; a log of guests who did or didn’t turn up; prearranged check-out times, and a specified time that guests may not check in after. Some shelters provide a list of ‘house rules’ and require guests to sign a simple agreement. You may also want to install suitable signage to help guests find their way around.

As many night shelters have a fast turnaround of guests in shared spaces, a regular cleaning and laundry schedule is essential to help prevent the spread of seasonal viruses such as Covid-19.

Before inviting guests to stay overnight in your venue, you should check that all plumbing is in good working order. The stopcock should be labelled, your water pipes should be lagged, and you should take preventative measures to stop your pipes from freezing.

Does the shelter site have working welfare facilities (toilets, sinks)?

Your heating system should be regularly checked by a qualified engineer. If it’s gas powered, it needs to be registered with Gas Safe. If it’s powered by fuel oil, it needs to be registered with OFTEC. Furthermore, if you use oil heating, you are required to have a bund or drop tray beneath the tank to catch any leaks.

In recent years, venues have been dissuaded from using portable heaters powered by LPG (liquid petroleum gas), because of the increased risk of fire. You should also check whether your insurer covers LPG portable heaters.

Carbon monoxide fumes are odourless but can be extremely harmful. A quick and easy way to protect your employees and guests from this risk is to install a carbon monoxide detector.

Vaccination is one of the best ways to limit the chance of contracting Covid-19. Both visitors and employees should strongly consider getting vaccinated before attending your night shelter.

In any shared or public space, there is still a risk of visitors contracting Covid-19. With this in mind, you should have procedures in place for those who display symptoms. Ensure that anyone with symptoms gets tested, no matter how mild the symptoms, and self-isolates if their test results are positive.

As we have seen previously, the Covid-19 situation can change very quickly. With the possibility that cases could suddenly increase, especially during the winter, it is essential to regularly check the Government guidance to keep up to date with advice and any changes.

Although night shelters are a positive, charitable endeavour, they are not intended as a permanent solution for individuals. Move-on accommodation is a steppingstone for rough sleepers to transfer from night shelters or hostels to independent living. To find out more contact your local authority. Remember homeless individuals are unlikely to have access to information and support, and the shelter may their main source of learning about move-on accommodation.