Our winter shelters will open in less than four weeks - Every guest will be treated with dignity, care & kindness

11 October 2023

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In response to the growing number of women experiencing homelessness, we will be providing a women’s night shelter this winter. We are proud to offer this space to all women who turn to us for support. 

Following some questions about our services this year – we'd like to share the following statement.

Glass Door Homeless Charity has been operating night shelters for over 20 years, providing emergency shelter in the coldest months of the year.

We run an Open Access policy; no matter who you are and where you are from you will be offered support.

Everyone who turns to us for help in the winter months is vulnerable - and often experiencing multiple disadvantages.

Guests might be experiencing entrenched rough sleeping, substance misuse, modern slavery, seeking asylum, gender-based violence, LGBTQ+ discrimination and other forms of discrimination.

Over the past five years we’ve seen a consistent increase in the number of women needing our services. In the last two years, approximately 30% of our guests have been women, and we know the number of women needing our support is much higher. To meet this demand, we have made the decision to run a women’s shelter this year.

All guests are treated in line within their gender identity and our Guest Equality and Diversity Policy – which states; “Glass Door is committed to providing services that ensure equal opportunities for all guests. There is a legal basis for this, as we operate in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and the Gender Recognition Act 2004.”

All our policies and procedures are gender and trauma-informed - and operate in-line with other organisations across the homeless sector and government services, such as the NHS.

We have stringent safeguarding procedures in place, as the safety of our guests is paramount. There are two staff members present at all times and checking on guests regularly throughout the night. We have operated our shelters under these policies for many years with a strong record of keeping our guests safe.

If any guests have any concerns about anything at our shelters, we will provide separate space upon availability. We do not tolerate any hate and/or discrimination against anyone in our shelter, that includes guests, staff, volunteers and anyone who turns to us for shelter & support.

We are operating within the law, and we will continue to operate in a way that every single person will be treated with dignity, care & kindness.