Shelter From The Storm

Shelter from The Storm is London's only free homeless shelter. Based in Islington, we provide a warm bed, a lovingly cooked dinner and breakfast for 36 guests, 18 men and 18 women a night, 365 days a year. We started with one night in the crypt of a church and now we’re the only year-round homeless shelter completely free to guests and we don’t get a penny from the government. At Shelter from the Storm we don’t waste our time and energy worrying about whose responsibility someone is, which borough is going to pick up the tab. Because our shelter is run by volunteers and we raise all our own money, we can receive guests from any borough, agency, or country, from the Probation Service to the Red Cross, regardless of their access to funding. We have become the first and only option for some of the most marginalised people in our society. We have fostered partnerships with industry to find employment and training for our guests and with Landlords to find suitable, decent accommodation. We have established links with Kids Company, New Horizon, The Red Cross, The Metropolitan Police Trafficking Division, The Scarlet Centre (for women escaping sex work), all the agencies dealing with the homeless and all the London Hospitals. With our supporters' love and support we weave a net and then we catch our guests when they fall through the cracks.