Where it all began – 1984

Four decades ago in 1984 CENS (formerly known as Colchester Night Shelter), was a 3 bed council house not far from where we are based now. When it first opened its doors it provided six rooms to homeless men only. The house was run by volunteers and many times had to close due to lack of staff cover. Sadly, we have no images of the house back in 1984 but we are so proud to have continued and evolved into what are today.

Passion to Provide – 1991

Thanks to the dedication of Pernille Petersen (who was one of the very first volunteers at CENS) and with the help of Colchester Borough Council a new premises was secured in 1991 on Alexandra Road in Colchester. We are still here to this day. We are open 365 days of the year, offering emergency night shelter to the homeless. At the time, this new premises offered 15 beds for homeless men which included both twin and single rooms.

The Main Entrance to the Shelter back in 1991

Lottery Funding – 1995

With thanks to the amazing lottery funding scheme, CENS were able to purchase the property outright. This enabled us to develop and provide emergency shelter to both homeless men and women for the first time. This was a much needed change and we became one of the first “open shelters” in the UK. An “open shelter” refers to a temporary, often overnight, accommodation that provides refuge, safety, and basic needs, typically accessible on a first-come, first-served basis.

Expansion – 2000

The millennium was when we expanded our services to adapt to the increasing needs experienced by homeless people. We wanted to provide a wrap-around service and so partnered with outside agencies to provide support for residents experiencing substance misuse or mental health issues. We also started to work more closely with the council to be able to provide move-on options for our residents including supported housing.

Al’s Annexe – 2018

In 2018, CENS purchased the 4-bed house directly next door to the main night shelter. This provided our residents with move-on accommodation for their next steps to independence. It’s a safe space, close to the main shelter, where residents can learn how to manage a tenancy, cook, clean and budget, whilst still getting valuable support from our staff here at CENS.

Refurbishment and New Beginnings! – 2021

Following the pandemic, CENS received a National Lottery Community Grant and a massive refurbishment started! CENS converted into 17 individual rooms all with their own en-suite bathrooms. This provided a private space for each resident to be able to sleep and shower in. The kitchen also underwent a revamp, making it much larger. This enabled us to prep, plan and serve home-cooked meals every single day. This was followed by a garden and lounge makeover, so that residents could feel at home in a relaxing, comfortable and safe environment where they can chat and socialise.

Exciting News! – 2025

CENS have more exciting news to tell you about! We have now purchased another move-on property on Mersea Road in Colchester. This CENS move-on property has recently undergone a full refurbishment. This means we now have a further 8 rooms to offer our residents to help with their next steps to independence, whilst still gaining much needed support from CENS. We will be doing a separate blog just on Mersea Road soon to show you just how much hard work has gone into this amazing project for our residents!

We are proud of the progress CENS has made over the last 40 years. The support we offer to people experiencing homelessness could not have been achieved with out the generous donations from our supporters. If you would like to be part of our team, please consider donating here.