Last Friday was the final night drop-in here at the Grosvenor Centre. Two women came and had a warm place to shelter and something to eat, one even stayed all night and enjoyed breakfast with the volunteers the next morning! The night drop-in service has been visited 28 times over its 4-month pilot and benefited 18 different women; all of whom were supported with practical care and given a safe place to escape the streets for as long or as little as they needed.

Over the course of the pilot we learnt that Fridays are one of the women’s busiest nights and that they can’t make the most of everything this service has to offer, as it means coming over to St Paul’s and consequently missing out on earning money.

So, if the mountain can’t come to Mohammed…

…we’ll go to them!

Some night-owl van volunteers have offered to do later outreach shifts – amazing! Staying out until 3:30am on Fridays will mean we can continue offering hot drinks and food; safety alarms; emotional support and much much more right into the night – exactly when and where, the women need us most. How fantastic is that?!

"The van going out until 3:30am on a Friday night is a much better option as we will be able to report attacks better, and get food and condoms more easily as we'll be where the van is."

- Carole (service user)

Tonight’s the first late night shift! So while we’re getting tucked into bed, the women will be tucking into sandwiches and hot chocolate to keep them going through the night. We’ll pilot this new late night outreach over the coming months and keep listening to what the women tell us to make sure we are meeting their critical needs and giving them all the support that they deserve.

Did you know £5 could provide a meal and a hot drink for two women on our van?

Often it’s the only food they will get to eat that day.

Please donate now – you could stop women like Carole going to sleep hungry tonight. Thank you.