Supporting people beyond ‘Everyone In’
The Christmas season is upon us and, as ever, it is an extremely busy time of year for charities like Alongside.
As the temperatures drop, our outreach teams are out on the streets six days a week, connecting with people rough sleeping in all weathers and helping them to access shelter, food, healthcare and more sustainable accommodation options.
Our off-the-streets hostel – already operating at 115% capacity – will see a surge in demand from people desperate to avoid another freezing night on the streets.
And our day centre will provide a warm, welcoming haven for people without anywhere else to go – somewhere they can have a friendly conversation, relax with a hot drink and find support to help them navigate a route away from homelessness.
But unusually, this year our teams are under additional pressure as they respond to the Prime Minister’s ambitious call to action: everyone who is street homeless should be offered an option to come inside for Christmas.
It is a policy known as ‘everyone in’, which was first enacted during the pandemic – where it saw great success, as there were hundreds of empty hotel rooms going unused, and a real fear amongst people experiencing rough sleeping that they would be at greater risk of catching an unknown disease if they stayed on the streets.
Today, however, is a different story. There are not myriad unused, ready-made accommodation options available. As a result, many offers will be basic, dormitory-style accommodation which will only be available overnight, meaning people will need to pack up and leave each morning.
And the offer to people in need is timebound, with additional bed spaces to be mobilised from December to March only, in most cases.
The government has provided funding to local authorities to deliver this policy; but it is important to note that this money has not gone directly to frontline charities. Homelessness services like Alongside have had to negotiate with local authorities to secure funding to deliver ‘everyone in’ projects, as well as finding the properties which could be used as winter shelter.
That is not to say that it is not a worthwhile endeavour; and Alongside is working closely with local authorities across the South West to respond.
In Bath, we will provide additional bed spaces in church premises until 31 March 2027.
In Weymouth, we will provide additional night support workers to the existing Bus Shelter provision until 31 March 2027.
In Exeter, we will provide additional bed spaces in the city centre until 31 March 2027.
In Taunton, we are hoping to provide additional bed spaces for 12 months.
In Basingstoke, we are hoping to provide additional support to complement existing winter night shelter provision.
In Gloucester, we are exploring the opportunity to provide additional bed spaces in the city centre until 31 March 2027.
But these interventions alone are not going to end rough sleeping. At Alongside, we are determined to tackle both the crisis and causes of homelessness.
We provide outreach, accommodation and wraparound support for people all year round, providing practical, person‑centred care and guidance grounded in dignity and compassion.
We offer not just short-term safety and shelter, but the chance to rebuild a life: to reconnect with community, regain confidence, and reclaim independence. Its work ensures that some of the most marginalised people in the South West are not left behind.
Our clients may be homeless, recovering from addiction, escaping domestic abuse, rebuilding their life after leaving prison, resettling as a refugee or living insecurely as part of a Travelling community.
Whatever their starting point, we help them to find a route to something better.
That is the work that we need the public’s support to deliver. This Christmas, we are appealing to our supporters once more to donate what they can to enable our life-changing services to continue.
We truly could not do the work we do without the generous support of individuals, families, businesses, philanthropists, faith groups and community networks. The government may have provided funding to offer everyone a bed this winter; but we want to be there for people as long as they need us.
Please consider supporting our Christmas Appeal this year to help us offer people hope for a brighter start to 2027 – and beyond.
