DENS is an independent Charity which began in 1998 with a temporary Night Shelter that operated in rotation around seven local churches for five years, providing shelter during the winter months. DENS became a permanent operation in 2003 and is a community response to the local needs of homeless people, the vision in action of several concerned individuals who cared enough to want to help solve the problem of homelessness in Dacorum.

Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, DENS works to improve the lives of homeless people. DENS Night Shelter and Move-On-Accommodation provide emergency and longerterm accommodation in safe surroundings for those in need. DENS Day Centre provides food, hot drinks and a place to go during the day to get off the streets. Guests play games, read newspapers, meet others in a similar situation and have access to advice provided by DENS staff, other agencies and volunteers. Our aim is to make the Day Centre a positive training environment, helping people reclaim their lives.

DENS Night Shelter

DENS provides emergency overnight accommodation in the Night Shelter which is open 365 nights a year and offers bed, breakfast and evening meal for up to nine people. In order to access the nightshelter clients must initially be referred from either the Housing Advice Centre at Dacorum Borough Council Civic Centre, or Hemel Hempstead Police Station. Clients can stay up to a maximum of 30 nights and may return to DENS after a 30 night time-out period. This is to prevent clients from bed-blocking and to encourage them to engage and motivate them.

After clients have been at DENS a few days they are offered an interview with staff to determine how they can best be assisted. At the end of this interview an agreed action plan will be produced and clients will have a clear understanding of what options are available to them.  DENS main aim is to empower clients to make positive life changes to assist them in preventing or breaking the cycle of homelessness.  Together we can then determine what the client’s next step may be, and may put them in contact with other support agencies such as Rent Aid, Turning Point, YMCA, etc who may be able to help.

DENS Move On Accommodation

DENS also provides longer term housing in its Move-On accommodation which can accommodate up to five people. This provision is a stepping stone into independent living and vacancies are offered to clients who have reached their 30-day limit in the Night Shelter, who have showed they are engaging with the available support, are actively seeking to deal with their situation and would fit in with the current client group in the house.  Once in the Move On Accommodation clients are expected to continue working with the available support with the added opportunity to develop their independent living skills.  Currently DENS offers this service for a period of six months with flexibility for longer stays if necessary.

DENS Day Centre – Bury Lodge

Homeless people have been telling us from Day one that they have no where to go during the day. Peter, 47 told us that “I walk up the tow path until midday and then I turn around and come back again.”

DENS had long hoped to be able to open a Day Centre for homeless people. In August 2006 DENS Day Centre Bury Lodge (address at top of this page) opened Monday & Thursday 12noon-4pm and Wednesday 1pm-4pm as a drop-in, Tuesday 12noon-4pm Training by appointment only and on Friday for one-to-one interviews.

Operating Monday-Friday the Day Centre is well used and often there are 20-30 people visiting each day, with 279 people visiting 3650 times in the past year. Within the Day Centre clients can access Resettlement support, enjoy a nutritional meal, have the opportunity to learn new skills, all in an environment that aims to prevent them becoming socially isolated and promotes social inclusion. Tuesdays & Fridays are especially designed to draw individuals on.

DENS Resettlement Work

Underpinning all of DENS work is the Resettlement Service, which aims to ensure that each client receives one to one support, covering everything from housing through to employment. Without this support, clients can easily ‘drop out’ of the system as they pass from one service to the next.  Resettlement Support empowers homeless people to achieve permanent, positive changes in their lives.

Although DENS resettlement work is widely recognised as being vital, there is as yet no long-term financial support that DENS can find to sustain this work on an ongoing basis. Therefore, DENS is building a group of Resettlement Supporters, made up of individuals and others who are financing this essential work annually for three years.  DENS hopes that people will consider giving financial support to this crucial part of DENS work as it will really make a difference, enabling DENS to establish this as a long–term project.  For more information go to “Can I help with fundraising or Volunteering?”