Glass Door 25 Year Appeal: Why we still need you

This appeal ran from April to May 2025. Thank you to everyone who supported us. If you would still like to donate to help us in our mission, you can do so here.

Today we’re launching our 25 year appeal to mark 25 years of Glass Door Homeless Charity building routes out of homelessness – and asking the question, why are we still here? 

Homelessness in London is at a record high. 

According to the latest London figures (CHAIN data), between October and December last year, 4,612 people were counted sleeping rough – a 5% increase from the previous year. Alarmingly, 2,115 were sleeping rough for the first time. If new people are continuously being pushed into homelessness, it means the problem isn’t just persisting – it’s worsening.   

This is why we still need you.  

For 25 years, Glass Door has provided shelter, support, and a route out of homelessness for those with nowhere else to turn.  

We started in 1999 as West London Churches Homeless Concern – a small group of community members handing out information cards to connect people with support. Today, we are the UK’s largest provider of open-access casework support and emergency winter night shelters.  

As the need changed and grew, so did we:  

• 1999 – Opened our first night shelter in Kensington & Chelsea  

• 2007 – Hired our first caseworker to provide year-round support  

• 2012-2016 – Expanded our network of night shelters across London  

• 2020 – Adapted during the pandemic to provide single-occupancy accommodation 

• 2023 – Opened our first Women’s Night Shelter and launched a dedicated drop-in service. 

But despite everything we’ve accomplished together, the need has never been greater.  

Since our inception, we’ve stayed true to our open access ethos – offering support to anyone who turns to us, no matter who they are or where they are from. We do not take funding that impedes our ethos, which means we rely entirely on voluntary donations.  

This is why we still need you.    

Your support today means:  

• A safe place to sleep for those with nowhere else to turn  

• Caseworkers helping people move into stable housing  

• A lifeline for those at risk of slipping through the cracks.  

Will you stand with us?  

As long as homelessness exists, we will be here – fighting for change, standing with those who need us, and working towards a future where no one is left on the streets of London.   

Because everyone has the right to call somewhere home – and together, we can achieve this.   

Donate