Wycombe charity successfully reopens night shelter, protecting dozens from harm
The homeless charity is now helping individuals without a home with a bed for the night and ongoing specialised support
Last updated 17th Feb 2025
No one left behind - that's the message from a homeless charity in south Buckinghamshire after its first successful month re-launching a night shelter.
High Wycombe’s homeless population has been on the rise since the COVID-19 pandemic, with local charity Wycombe Homeless Connection (WHC) seeing increasing demand for its services.
In response, WHC has reopened its night shelter, a project requiring months of preparation and support from the local community.
James Boultbee, CEO of Wycombe Homeless Connection, explained the challenges faced in recent years.
He said: "During the COVID pandemic, we really had minimal people on the streets because there was a government scheme called Everyone In, which was great.
"But unfortunately, when that came to an end, the numbers of people sleeping rough have really shot back up. And every year since then, nationally, we’ve seen an increase in the number of people rough sleeping, and Wycombe has been no exception."
WHC operates both a support centre and an outreach programme to assist those experiencing homelessness.
This includes individuals visiting their offices for support, and staff heading out into the community to spot individuals and offer them support.
Rough sleeping remains highly visible in High Wycombe, but Mr Boultbee emphasised that many homeless individuals go unnoticed.
And he highlighted the dangers of hidden homelessness, particularly for vulnerable individuals.
"We’ve had people in the past that we’ve been looking to help that have been offered to stay with people, then pressured into sex. We’ve had people that have been pressured into using drugs if they’ve had to stay with somebody, people that have been in very dangerous situations where people have pulled out weapons when they’ve tried and sofa surf," he said.
To address the crisis, WHC recently reopened its night shelter, providing warm, safe accommodation for those in need.
Local churches offered their venues for free for the charity to set up the night shelter, and with the help of 300 volunteers and the purchase of supplies, food, mattresses, bedding, and equipment, it has successfully welcomed individuals needing support for over a month now.
Mr Boultbee added: "It was so obvious that it was all worth it when people came in out of the cold and the church was warm.
"They had showers, partly because this particular church specially installed showers a few years ago in the hope that they would be able to work with us on the night shelter in the future."
The initiative has received financial support from Buckinghamshire Council, despite the pressures the local authority faces.
And collaboration between WHC, the council, and other agencies has been key.
"We actually meet every two weeks with a whole group of other agencies, including the police and the council, and we make sure that every person that we know is sleeping rough gets attention during that meeting," Mr Boultbee said. "We spend time thinking about how are we going to be able to help them the best."
WHC’s outreach efforts extend beyond the town centre, with support available to those in other parts of Buckinghamshire such as Chesham, Marlow or Princes Risborough.