The importance of your privacy and dignity at CENS.
For 40 years we have been providing emergency night shelter accommodation for people facing homelessness. In the last 5 years we have refurbished the shelter to include 16 individual rooms all with their own ensuites. This means a resident will have access to their own hot shower, toilet and sink. The room is also heated in colder months. A resident will be provided with clean bedding and towels, and we have lots of toiletries that we receive in donations to be able to help with hygiene. To be able to offer each individual their own room is wonderful and helps to make someone feel safe and respects their right to privacy.
Coming into our Night Shelter
If you are facing homelessness, did you know that you can directly refer into CENS. You can call us on 01206 549885 or email our homeless hub here – https://cens4homeless.org.uk/homeless-hub/. We also receive referrals from other agencies such as Beacon House, a homeless day centre in Colchester, and many more. The first step we take is to carry out an initial assessment over the phone. This is very important to ensure a person is suitable to stay at CENS. Following this, if offered a room at CENS, they will be invited to come along to do an admission. This takes about an hour, when we will explain how we will support them during their stay, and there will be some signing of paperwork. We will give a resident a tour of the building and show them to their room and they can come back from 5pm when we open for residents to come in for the night. A resident’s privacy is very important, and they will be given their own key card to their room – no one else has access to the room apart from staff.
A Warm Welcome
A resident’s first night can be daunting, people unfortunately have misconceived perceptions of a night shelter. Here at CENS, we want all of our residents to feel safe, respected, and welcome. We introduce anyone new to the staff and current residents. We see so many friendships form and everyone supports one another, as they are all facing the same struggles and understand the worry homelessness can bring. Staff are also always on hand to offer support and advice. CENS provides home-cooked meals for every single resident 365 days of the year and breakfast every morning. All we ask is that a resident pays £4 service charge a night for a stay at CENS to go towards heating, food and electricity and we offer an initial 28-night stay. This can be extended if we find a suitable move on option for a person.
“I cannot thank CENS enough. Before coming in I was living in the woods and was cold, hungry and very scared and alone. To be shown to my own room with a warm, clean bed was very emotional. To be offered a hot tasty meal was so nice and to have hot shower for the first time in ages made me feel so good. I slept through the night for the first time in months. I am so grateful that we have this amazing night shelter in Colchester. I don’t know what would have happened to me without it.”
A CENS resident
Instilling Independence
During a resident’s stay, we instil the importance of cleaning the room, ensuring they clean the bathroom, floors and keep on top of dusting and washing their bedding and clothes regularly. We have our own washing machines and tumble dryers on site kindly donated by JLA. We carry out daily room checks and anyone that is struggling will be spoken to and supported to get back on track. If this fails a warning will be issued. Here at CENS we help with housing, and it is imperative that we ensure a resident is managing and maintaining good standards of hygiene and cleaning. This will empower them to live independently going forward. We do a support interview one week into their stay, the aim of which is to help with housing and identify any support needs a resident may need – anything from counselling, registering with a GP and rehabilitation to learning a new skill and much more. To see a resident gain confidence and security is heartwarming and we are proud to provide such a service to anyone facing homelessness.
If you would like to become a friend of CENS and make a one-off or regular donation please use the donation form below thank you.
