Here is the latest update from The Gatehouse, one of Univ’s partner charities:

The Gatehouse is an open-door drop-in café for Oxford’s homeless and vulnerably housed, which operates Monday to Friday 5-7pm and on Sundays 4-6pm at the St Giles Parish Rooms, 10 Woodstock Road, near the centre of Oxford.

The aims of the charity are: “To relieve poverty and hardship among homeless and needy people in or near the City of Oxford and, in particular, by the provision of a drop-in centre.” On a more personal level this is achieved by welcoming the homeless and vulnerable and providing a place where companionship, dignity, and refreshment can be found in a warm, safe and therapeutic environment.

We are always on the lookout for volunteers to help us run our sessions, providing essential services for our guests. These services include the provision of basic needs (food and drink, clothes, sleeping bags, toiletries etc.), social contact, and one-to-one information and help with a long-term aim of achieving full reintegration with society for our guests, including permanent housing. We also run weekly art, literary, and computer activity groups. Each session takes up less than four hours of a volunteer’s time, with most individuals covering a regular slot once a week. However, some do more or less than that and you can simply limit your commitment to one session at a time on varying days of the week according to your availability.

If you would like a challenging experience where you can make a difference you can join our volunteer team by contacting us at admin@oxfordgatehouse.org See oxfordgatehouse.org for further details about volunteering. Please note that as usual we will be closing for two weeks during August (12 to 26 August inclusive).

We welcome any support that you can provide by raising money to fund our services. One opportunity coming up later in the year is the Oxford Half Marathon on 13 October. We are currently recruiting riders for this event.

Further information about fundraising and donations can also be found at oxfordgatehouse.org.

Find out more about The Gatehouse on the Univ in the Community page.

Published: 19 July 2019

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