Missions

The current community is highly diverse. The wealth of the City meets the deprivation of Hackney and Tower Hamlets. The estates to the east have traditionally been dumping areas for the disaffected and poor immigrants. However, the large Bengali community is being assimilated into the newly rich creating yet another wonderfully fruitful village.

However, there is another community of semi-derelict people who live on the streets. To help this community, the church has built ‘Acorn House’ the 18 bed residential unit for those who need a roof and security while they recover from various addictions. This is operated for us by the Spitalfields Crypt Trust.

More recently the Hanbury Project began its work to help give practical skills to those in recovery. Among other projects, they have re-landscaped the church gardens with stunning plants creating a valuable asset for our community.

Spitalfields Crypt Trust http://www.sct.org.uk/

Hackney Winter Night Shelter

HWNS is a grass-roots project run by volunteers from churches across Hackney. We offer a warm welcome, hot supper, bed and breakfast in a safe environment to 25 homeless guests. The Shelter operates in a different hall each night of the week, with a local team of volunteers taking responsibility for each night. In all, 15 halls are used and over 500 volunteers work in them. We also employ Support Workers to assist our guests finding accommodation and meeting other needs.

  • We provide a meal and a bed for homeless people at 15 different church centres in Hackney
  • Open overnight 8pm-8am (7pm Sundays), from 1st January to 31st March
  • Admission from 8pm (7pm Sundays) to 10pm
  • Food and accommodation free
  • No drugs or alcohol permitted on the premises

Seventeen years ago, a group of local Christians, some of who had personal experience of homelessness, were thinking about how they could help the people they saw sleeping on the streets around Hackney. They had the idea that if a group of churches each took responsibility for running a shelter for one night of the week, some of those people could be helped. What started as a loose network of volunteers from local churches collaborating to address a problem on their doorsteps, has developed into Hackney Winter Night Shelter.

We are always looking for more volunteers. Our guests appreciate the friendly and informal atmosphere we provide, and you would find it interesting and very rewarding if you came and joined us. Training is provided for volunteers.

Become a Volunteer!

To find out more, please contact:

Hackney Winter Night Shelter
The Parish Office
St Mary’s Church
Stoke Newington Church Street
London N16 9ES

email: volunteer@hwns.org.uk OR elainecummings@hotmail.com