Latest arrangements in response to the Coronavirus
Guests
We are still open for three sessions a week at St. John's Parish Rooms, Long Street, Devizes, SN10 1NS but guests are served at the porch door.
Come and see us if
- you don't have a home to go to,
- you would appreciate a cooked meal
- you don't have somewhere to wash your clothes
- you really need help contacting the right people at County Hall about housing problems
- you need help contacting drug & alcohol support services
Come between
11.30am - 1.30pm Mondays
9.30am- 11.30am Wednesdays
5.00pm - 6.30pm Fridays
Volunteers
Each session runs like this:
Just three people are on duty in the Hall and one person either cooks at home or in St. John's kitchen. The cooked food is handed out in food boxes at the porch door. Clothing, laundry tickets, post and food bank referral forms are also available. Conversations about benefits and housing take place on a one at a time basis in the Hall. Turning Point staff are also on hand every Wednesday, with their van being parked in the Devizes Museum car park..
Everyone must wash their hands, wear masks and adher to the 2m social distancing rule. The tables across the porch door help to ensure this. Any guest who needs a conversation is allowed into the hall, must wash their hands and can then talk to the support worker, who will be separated from them by a screen.
We will continue to keep the Rough Sleepers team at County Hall informed of those who want help with housing. County will continue to follow these up and hopefully provide suitable, temporary accommodation for those who are rough sleeping.
Please text or phone 07828 041152 or email volunteersThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you think you can help.
Route Map out of Lockdown
These dates are fixed by the government and may well change but this is what the plan looks like at the moment.
From 12th April
A hot meal takeaway service continuing outside and for those without homes to cook in. Others will be welcome to come to take away donated supermarket food. Sessions will become 2hrs long, starting at 11.30am on Mondays, 9.30am on Wednesdays and 5.00pm on Fridays. PPE (personal protective equipment will remain the norm).
From 17th May
Food will be cooked in the kitchen and collected from inside the Hall, together with donated supermarket food. There will be hand washing on the way in, a one-way circulation system and a maximum of ten in the Hall at any one time (as before Christmas).
From 21st June
Guests will once again be able to sit and chat at tables in the Hall and cooked food will be served from the kitchen, just as in pre-Covid times. The shower will be brought back into use.
Food will be cooked in the kitchen and collected from inside the Hall, together with donated supermarket food. There will be hand washing on the way in, a one-way circulation system and a maximum of ten in the Hall at any one time (as before Christmas).
What is Devizes Opendoors?
It is a charity that has been set up to help people in the Devizes Community Area to find solutions to homelessness; to offer support to local people when they are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and to benefit local individuals in need, including the marginalised and vulnerable.
Opendoors exists 100% for the benefit of others, in particular those who are homeless or at risk of becoming so. For the last few years it has provided three cooked meals a week at St. John’s Parish Rooms, Long Street and there are about 15 – 20 people there at most sessions. Along with the good food and company there is the chance of a shower and a few other things (see Opening Times).
The guests are a mixture of rough sleepers, those sleeping in sheds, vans and old boats, sofa surfers and those with their own homes but with issues that can make their tenancies vulnerable.
The team has two paid staff, a coordinator and a deputy coordinator, and over 50 volunteers on a rota with 7 - 9 on per session. Together they prepare the food and the hall, welcome the guests and chat, serve meals and discuss issues in one-to-one conversations. Concerns that get followed up include health (mental and physical) issues, alcohol and drug dependency, criminal activity, financial matters and of course, housing issues.
A series of articles about those who access Opendoors services, and those who provide them.
SMILE!
We have signed up to Amazon Smile, and so we have a favour to ask; if you are doing any online shopping with Amazon and you would like a small percentage of the price to come to us, just follow the link below, and select Devizes Opendoors from the dropdown menu.
Thank you!
Volunteer Opportunity
Be a Devizes Opendoors Befriender
Give a homeless person a hand up - not a handout
This autumn we are looking for people who can empathise and encourage.
We provide full training and you will join a supportive team of volunteer Befrienders.
Please click here to find out more, or contact John Saunders:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
07828 041152
Contact Details
If you are homeless, know someone who is, or concerned about someone at risk of becoming homeless we might be able to help. Please call: 07493 825258
To speak to a member of the team during our regular opening times please call: 07722 096046
If you are interested in volunteeering with us please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. You might also like to take a look at our Volunteer section, where you can find more information or download our Autumn 2020 Volunteer Newsletter.
Any other enquiries? Please email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or go to our Contact Page.
