“He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honours God.”
Proverbs 14 : 31
About Us
Ealing Churches Winter Night Shelter (ECWNS) is run by an ecumenical coalition of churches within the London Borough of Ealing. It first opened in January 2011. We are a registered charity (No. 1152768). Read our latest Annual Report and watch our video (11 mins) on this page to find out more about us.
Our staff
 |  Marie Newstead is our Shelter Worker, liaising with the guests and shelters. |
Our Board of Trustees
ECWNS is a Charitable Incorporated Organisation, run by a Board of volunteer Trustees. These are:
 Nilesh Patel (Chair) |  Rev Mike Barter |
 Caroline Harding |  James Gillespie |
 Jill Coombe | Chantal Wilson |
Why are we needed?
In 2017-18, Ealing had 358 people recorded sleeping on the streets, according to the GLA official “CHAIN” reports, a 47% increase on the previous year. There are many more in precarious accommodation on friends’ floors, night buses, etc. ECWNS stands in the gap by providing for the most basic and essential needs for homeless people – sleep and food. A person who has been made homeless faces enormous risks as a rough sleeper including substance abuse, poor physical and mental health, and acts of criminality. ECWNS seeks to minimise these risks by creating a safe space for homeless people to find temporary respite while helping them to secure more permanent accommodation. Providing temporary respite ‘buys’ some more time before guests become further entrenched in homelessness and are adversely, and sometimes irreversibly, affected by the risks presented by homelessness. Each guest is offered 28 days in the shelter, during which time ECWNS works with partner agencies (St. Mungo’s Broadway, Ealing Soup Kitchen and Acton Homeless Concern) and local housing services to look for a way to move on.
What impact does this have on the wider community?
Besides alleviating some of the problems of homelessness, ECWNS has a wider impact on the community through the extensive network of volunteers. Over 400 friends and neighbours of ECWNS volunteer their time and resources to provide for homeless people in our area. This has been an immensely positive experience for many volunteers who are given the opportunity to work together for a greater cause. The network of volunteers at ECWNS has truly given proof to the saying, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts”.
