DENS is an independent homeless charity working with single homeless people between the ages of 18-65 yrs.

Our approach is holistic and our goal is to help homeless people by providing a service which:

a) meets their immediate needs e.g. food and accommodation
b) provides one to one support and advice on issues such as re-housing, employment and training
c) aims to (with the support of specialist agencies) help people deal with and overcome the issues behind their homelessness situation e.g. substance misuse / debt
d) prepare them for idenpendent living.
Since DENS opened its permanent premises in March 2003, around 250 homeless people a year have benefited from our services.

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 the local 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 Druglink or Rent Aid 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 but lacked the funding to do so. In January 2005, as a result of a £10,000 grant from the Herts Community Foundation Key Fund (ESF), and support from Dacorum Borough Council and general donations, a Day Centre Manager was appointed and in February 2005 the temporary Day Centre opened.

Operating on three afternoons a week in a local church hall in Hemel Hempstead, the Day Centre was well used with 20 people visiting each day, numbers totaling over 1300. 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.

On 16th August 2006 DENS moved its Day Centre into permanent premises and will become DENS Bury Lodge. Having dedicated premises will provide DENS with a greater opportunity to provide a quality service including tailored training sessions and visits from other agencies.

DENS is about to embark on a new fundraising campaign in order to raise £70,000 a year which we need to fund Bury Lodge. We are asking individuals and businesses for donations, either in-kind such as kitchen equipment or monetary to help us fund the ongoing core costs such as staff and rental costs. If you think you may be able to help, email office@dens.org.uk and we will send you more information.

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?”