For 9 years, up until March 2020 we provided a temporary winter rolling night shelter for those people who would have otherwise been sleeping rough on the streets of Hastings and St Leonards. In 2017 we were awarded "Excellent Practice" by Housing Justice, a recognised assurance to funders, local authorities, insurers, shelter guests and the local community that the shelter was run to the highest standard.
Following the global pandemic and decisions made by central government, we are no longer operating in the same way as we used to. For the last 2 years we have been supporting those homeless people who are placed in temporary accommodation over the winter by providing hot evening meals, seven days a week over the winter period. This coming winter we will be looking to increase the amount of social interaction with our guests where safe to do so.
Our aims are:
- With respect and without discrimination, to engage local people with some of the most vulnerable people in the Town
- To provide non-judgemental hospitality and engagement with willing Volunteers to facilitate wellbeing and positive self-esteem
- To provide a hot evening meal to those those homeless people who are placed in temporary accommodation over the winter, freshly cooked and delivered to them each evening
- In liaison with specialist agencies, provide encouragement to our guests in accessing relevant longer term solutions to individual housing and employment needs
Our ultimate objective is to encourage and empower the people who we support to stand on their own two feet.
The Snowflake Trust was established to provide and promote the provision of accommodation, shelter and housing and any ancillary facilities to those in need. With rotating night shelters largely becoming a thing of the past following the coronavirus pandemic, we are currently unable to provide accommodation, however, we are busy planning our future provision in light of the government's latest guidance published in August 2022.
