Homeless Shelter
Together in Barnet
Together in Barnet (TiB) is a night shelter for rough sleepers in Barnet. TiB houses rough sleepers from October to May each year, working closely with the day centre, Homeless Action in Barnet, to provide for the needs of the most vulnerable in the Barnet community.
There are 32 communities involved across the borough including churches, synagogues and mosques. Between October and May each year the shelter provides dinner, bed and breakfast to those experiencing homelessness in Barnet.
Christmas Shelter
FRS will provides the shelter for a continuous period between Tuesday 24th December and Monday 30 December 2024.
Winter Shelter
Wednesdays starting on the 1 January until 19 February 2025. We will be hosting up to 17 guests from 6:30pm overnight until 7:30am. We provide a hot meal, company, board games and newspapers and there will be two volunteers staying/ sleeping overnight to be there for them.
Volunteering
To volunteer for the Christmas Shelter, please fill in this form (Xmas shelter).
Pre-Shelter (Xmas only): Come and help us set up for and decorate the shelter on Monday 23 December, the day before it opens. We are proud to be the only synagogue lit up for Christmas, as we turn our building into a Christmas shelter for our homeless guests. Please come and join us to help us get the shelter ready, perfect for all the family!
To volunteer to support the Winter Shelter, please fill in this form (winter shelter).
Please note that under 18s are not permitted to volunteer whilst our guests are on site - however we would love to welcome all ages to help decorate the shelter.
Roles
We are looking for people to take on the following roles:
Role 1: Hosts / Welcomers
Cook food for our guests and bring it in on the day. As with all food at FRS, it should be meat free and nut free, more information on types of food required will be communicated following sign-up. Please note we are happy to contribute money towards ingredients if this is a barrier to anyone wishing to get involved.
Christmas Shelter - the Christmas Shelter will be open 24 hours per day, and host shift times vary so please see the volunteer form for more details.
Winter Shelter - you will also help with with bedding and stay until 9pm to serve dinner and eat together.
Role 2: Cooks
Cook at home and bring it in on the day. As with all food at FRS, it should be meat free and nut free. More information on types of food required will be communicated following sign-up. Cooks are welcome to stay on after dropping their meal to be one of the hosts that day/evening. Please note we are happy to contribute money towards ingredients if this is a barrier to anyone wishing to get involved.
Role 3: Night Sleepers
This is the most important volunteer job. We cannot run the shelter without this. We know this is a huge ask and commitment but everyone who does this comes away knowing that they have helped to keep our guests warm, dry and fed. You will need a mattress and sleeping bag/ bedding and we suggest bringing a good book. If you are coming straight from work, or from a class we will provide you with a hot meal before 9pm. Christmas Shelter - your shift will end at 8am.
Winter Shelter - you will leave at 7:30am with the guests.
Donate
In our new building we have the ability to offer warm showers to guests. We will provide towels and they will be taken to the launderette in the morning. We would like to have a regular cleaning company in to wash the showers and clean the toilets for the 10 – 12 weeks the shelter is running at FRS.
We are asking for donations for all cleaning costs and for extras such as new socks, shoelaces, scarves - some of the things guests haven’t managed to find at Homeless Action Barnet in the past. We would be grateful for a donation of £15 per guest.
By Bank Transfer
Sort Code: 60 15 20
Account No: 13681052
Account Name: Finchley Reform Synagogue General Acct
Reference: "HShelter [Surname] [First Name]"
Important Gift Aid Information: If you are not an FRS member, then please complete and sign the following Gift Aid Declaration Form and return it to the FRS office, either by post or by scanning and emailing it to our bookkeeper Debbie Marks.
