Homelessness is an issue that affects every village, town and city across the UK, and is increasing every year. With changes to the benefits system, an uncertain and sometimes volatile employment market, and a greater complexity to mental health conditions, the reasons for someone becoming homeless are never ‘black and white’ and contribute to an ever-growing and changing need for help and intervention. The Church has always been on the forefront of helping those who find themselves homeless, by running its own projects and supporting other organisations. Among the crucial support we give are projects that provide food, accommodation and conversation to those who are most vulnerable.

Find out below how you can help.

Hope Into Action

Hope into Action is a national charity that is working in partnership with churches across the country to find homes for those who need them - including in the Portsmouth area. It encourages churches to buy homes to provide accommodation for those who are homeless, and to provide groups of people who can provide practical and emotional support to tenants.

Portsmouth's Hope Into Action team provide houses with support for people who are homeless for a variety of reasons, including single people and families, people recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, people who've been in prison, and refugees.

The churches provide supportive friendship, investment, prayer and a caring community for our tenants. Hope into Action manages the referral process, the tenancy and house maintenance, and provide ongoing professional support.

The vision is to see these tenants make the changes that can transform their lives. More details are on www.portsmouth.hopeintoaction.org.uk. And you can read more about our churches' work with Hope into Action from our magazine here and here.

Sunday Supper

Inspired by the words of Jesus in Matthew 25:38-40, St Simon’s Church, Southsea, open their doors every Sunday at 6pm to welcome people who maybe homeless, vulnerable and lonely.

They welcome people to come and share a simple meal, doing this in place of their evening service. St Simon’s has been practicing this hospitality every single Sunday for nearly 30 years.

The agencies we support include:

Two Saints

The vouchers would benefit our Two Saints Portsmouth services such as our adult services for example, Hope House, also our Young People’s services such as the Foyer and in addition to our mental health services in the city. The vouchers make a huge difference at Christmas to all our clients who receive them as give them the gift of choice and freedom to choose what to purchase based on their personal needs. This can be to meet their basis needs such as food and clothing or allows them to buy a loved one a gift at Christmas which they ordinarily may not be able to do.

Stop Domestic Abuse

Stop Domestic Abuse provides practical and emotional support to people affected by domestic abuse. Last year in the Portsmouth Diocese we accommodated 142 women and their children living in seven refuges and a further 1988 women, children, young people and men living in their own homes. We are also working with Portsmouth City Council and Two Saints to provide support to homeless women staying in respite rooms who have been victims of domestic abuse. Our vision is a world without domestic abuse. We help all those affected by domestic abuse by providing innovative and unique services. We work to ensure that victims are supported to recover and perpetrators are supported to change their behaviour.

Roberts Centre

Over the years thousands of families and vulnerable single people supported by the Roberts Centre have benefitted from the kindness of those who support the Churches Homeless Action Voucher scheme. Never in the 37 years of the Roberts Centres existence, has the kindness and compassion of those who make the Voucher scheme a reality been more important. At different times in our lives we all need a little help and this year the number of homeless families in Portsmouth is at an all-time high. Thank you, because we can only help because you do.

Portsmouth Homeless Families Service

PHFS comprises of around 91 families between 3 residential sites and families in the community

• Catherine Booth House - a residential centre for 24 families with high support needs;
• St Pauls – a residential centre for 14 families with high support needs;
• St Monica’s House – a residential centre for 10 families with low support needs. As well as
• Sublets – 32 families receiving support in a sublet tenancy; and
• Floating Support – supporting upwards of 14 families in their own homes to manage their tenancy.

The vouchers are shared between the families (amount dependent of number in family) helping the parents to ensure the children and indeed themselves, have the best possible Christmas.

SSJ

Pre Covid we were supporting rough sleeping who were accessing the homeless day service, to have access to basic needs and necessities such as food, washing facilities as well as access to 1:1 support from support workers and potentially a night bed etc.

Since Covid, we have added 3 additional services to the homeless day service which support those rough sleeping to have access to temporary accommodation. We offer accommodation via the homeless pathway and are currently supporting homeless people who have been placed in one of the hostels. We have 45 rooms at Kingsway, 41 rooms at The Registry, 19 Rooms at Elm Grove and around 30-35 rough sleepers as we still have a day service provision for people who are still rough sleeping. The idea now is that we support clients to gain skills to move through the pathway and end up in more permanent accommodation as opposed to temporary accommodation.

The vouchers received via the Comfort and Joy appeal helps remind our clients that they haven’t been forgotten as many do not have family to remember them at Xmas. Xmas is usually no different for them than any other day so to have a voucher, kindly donated by someone else, gives our clients a sense that someone has thought of them. The vouchers also gives the clients a time to treat themselves or others and also choice.

Sunday Suppers

which celebrated its 30th year in September 2024, provides a free, hot meal and a small food parcel for any adult in need. Our guests are people living in poverty, those recovering from or living with addiction or those who simply appreciate a hot meal and some company, every Sunday from 5:30pm to 7pm.

Life House

We would like to pass vouchers with your participants’ Christmas Greetings “to our guests who are rough sleeping, sleeping in unsuitable conditions, underhoused, recovering addicts and those with poor mental health and any combination thereof. We aim to create an environment of compassion and care, where people feel they belong, are accepted; and where they can build a sense of self-worth and confidence – a place where we can be generous with our time, energy and practical resources, where we can go the extra mile.”

Hope into Action

Providing supported housing in our city

Portsmouth City of Sanctuary

is a local humanitarian organisation providing support to local asylum seekers and refugees in Portsmouth. We provide casework support and integration support to over 600 asylum seekers in the city, some of whom receive as little as £8 per week from the home office. We run a weekly multi-agency hub, the Refugee Sanctuary hub provides casework support, English lessons, Art sessions and other key agencies who provide specialist advice for local refugees and asylum seekers. We also deliver local community projects that promote independence and integration of migrants with the wider local community such as - community gardening, tree planting, women’s group, men’s group, a bicycle project and much more.

Friday Fridge

Friday Fridge is the name given to the weekly get-togethers, late on Friday nights, at St Jude's Church, Southsea. The idea was to give those who were out late at night free coffee, bacon sandwiches or cheese toasties, and the chance to meet others and enjoy a spiritual chillout. All are welcome, and the group has recently attracted those with addictions, mental health problems or housing issues. The group meets on the first three Fridays of each month, from 9pm-11pm.