Support us

We began offering our services as The Crossings in Feb 2019 with weekly drop-in sessions offering a safe place to come for a hot drink and a talk. Visitors are able to get support and encouragement, staying as long as they would like. Or they may prefer to just pop in, get the information they need and head off. Either way, our visitors set the pace.

For the future we plan to offer an outreach service as well, befriending and supporting those in temporary accommodation. We are developing this in partnership with the local Council so we can serve the area most effectively.

Our Story

Originally conceived by the Waterside Churches Together during the summer of 2017, the Nightshelter project was set up in response to the issues around homelessness arising in the area. Run by two Co-ordinators and a Volunteer team it offered a meal and overnight accommodation at participating church buildings through that winter. Carefully planned and widely supported by the volunteers, the Nightshelter was a great demonstration of care for those in need in our area.

The Trustees and Management Group undertook a careful reflection on the work of the project over the winter months of 2017-18.

There were many positives, in the number of contacts made with homeless people, and the number of referrals made, but it was clear from limited take-up that the model of offering accommodation in different centres across the Waterside over a limited number of nights was not hitting the target of addressing the real needs of the homeless community.

Firmly committed to responding to the issues of both homelessness and poverty in our society, we wanted to learn from this experience. In response to expressed need, it was decided to move in a slightly different direction.

We began offering our Drop-In service in Feb 2019 under a new name: The Crossings.

Governance

The Crossings is a registered charity (No. 1175115). It is governed by a Board of Trustees and served by two Management Committees. One for the Waterside(*) and one for the New Forest.

(*)  The Waterside is an area on the eastern side of the New Forest bounded by Southampton Water. More specifically “The Waterside” is an area defined by the Parishes of Marchwood, Hythe & Dibden, and Fawley, extending to Calshot in the south and Beaulieu to the west.