Winter Provision
Warmth and food
every morning
This year Catching Lives is focusing on delivery of our core 7-day drop-in services. Every morning at 9am (including weekends) the day centre opens to provide warm space, hot showers, food, laundry and support. The team works in partnership with Canterbury City Council, Porchlight, Forward Trust, Rising Sun and other agencies so that people can access housing and support. Catching Lives is open daily including Christmas Day. Find out more about volunteering in the day centre this winter. Canterbury Community Shelter is not running this year, learn more here.
How you can help
Volunteering
Each year we rely on volunteers to deliver winter services - for more information about current year-round opportunities, please see our Volunteering page.
Fundraising
Your donations help us to plan and deliver services year-round. Achieving an effective 7-day service is only possible with regular donations and fundraising events by the community, as well as grants from a range of funders, and income from our bookshop. To help keep our doors open for a warm welcome every day, please visit Catching Lives on JustGiving and set up a monthly donation.
Winter Provision
Access
We are a direct access service so no referral is needed. People can come to our day centre for support and a safe space off the streets during the day, 9am-2pm (1.30pm Weds). This includes hot showers, hot food, laundry, and essentials like toiletries and basic clothing. On 4 days a week there are activities so people can choose to stay between 2-4pm.
Working with partners
We work closely with partner agencies throughout the year, but especially in winter. This includes Canterbury City Council's rough sleeping and housing teams to move people on from the streets to somewhere safe and warm. We regularly refer people into Porchlight supported accommodation.
Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP)
During periods freezing weather, we refer people sleeping rough to the council’s Severe Weather Emergency Provision (SWEP) when it is available. We regularly fund travel and provide food parcels so that people can take up emergency bed spaces during severe weather.For anyone still on the streets, we try to provide warm clothing, sleeping bags and tents if we have them.