Croydon Voluntary Action needs £90,000 to reopen its winter night shelter for 20 people. Every gift is doubled until 12 October, and £13,320 is in so far.
Croydon’s volunteer-run winter night shelter is raising money to open again this winter, and until Monday 12 October every pound given is doubled, while the match fund lasts.
Croydon Voluntary Action (CVA) is asking for £90,000 to run the Croydon Together Shelter. Half of that, £45,000, is a pledged match fund through the charity platform Big Give. When we checked on 1 October, 26 donations had brought in £13,320, including the matching (Big Give: Croydon Together Shelter).
That leaves £38,340 of match money still to unlock. The campaign closes at 6pm on 12 October.
What the shelter does
The shelter offers a communal space for up to 20 men and women aged 18 and over. According to CVA’s appeal, guests get:
- a bed space, showers and toiletries
- hot meals, breakfast and snacks
- help with housing and homelessness
- referrals to physical and mental health, drug and alcohol services
- support into volunteering, training and work
CVA runs it with Croydon Council, outreach teams and local faith and community groups. Its last season ran from January to April 2026, with partners including Housing Justice, IKEA Croydon and HMRC (CVA: Croydon Together Night Shelter).
What it achieved last time
CVA says the shelter took in 48 guests last season, 10 women and 38 men. Of those:
- 36 were new to homelessness or “hidden homeless”, which the charity sees as a chance to step in early
- 35 found more stable housing
- 21 were helped with their mental or physical health
- 12 avoided sleeping rough
- 11 were refugees
- 10 had no recourse to public funds, meaning they cannot claim most benefits or council housing help
- 8 got or kept work
The figures are the charity’s own. It feeds its data into Housing Justice’s winter night shelter network (Big Give).
Why CVA says Croydon needs it
CVA’s appeal states that Croydon has the highest number of rough sleepers in outer London. It puts the 2025 count at 469, up 190% in a decade. It also says Croydon was one of four London boroughs without a night shelter.
One guest quoted on the appeal page said: “I was scared before, I walked around all night, now I have somewhere safe to sleep.”
The shelter is separate from the new homeless day centre that CVA, CAYSH and Spires are opening at the CVA Resource Centre on London Road, which we reported in September. The council’s own plans to cut the use of temporary accommodation are in our story on its 2030 strategy.
What it means for you
- To give: donate through the Big Give campaign page before 6pm on Monday 12 October. While match funds last, a £10 gift becomes £20.
- To volunteer: the shelter is run with volunteers. Contact CVA on 020 8253 7070 or cva@cvalive.org.uk (CVA).
- If you are worried about someone sleeping rough: you can alert the local outreach team through StreetLink.
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