Looking back on 2024

Now that 2025 is underway, we’re taking a moment to reflect on the year that was 2024—a year that saw unprecedented demand for our services at DENS. The numbers speak for themselves, revealing the scale of the challenges faced by local people experiencing homelessness, poverty and social exclusion.

Behind every statistic is a person in need, and your donations, fundraising efforts and championing of our cause ensured we could provide vital help when it was needed most.

Join us as we look back on the impact we made together in 2024.

Foodbank

4,024 food parcels were distributed by our Foodbank last year. This is a 15% increase since 2022.

9,897 people received emergency food relief, of which 5,966 were adults and 3,931 were children.

Day Centre

324 people visited the Day Centre for drop-in support. This is a 16% increase compared to the previous year. There were 3,966 visits in total.

As well as providing expert advice and access to clean clothes and showers, we served 3,313 meals, and recorded 184 uses of laundry facilities and 36 PC uses.

Accommodation services

143 individuals accessed our emergency Crash Pad accommodation, where they may have otherwise slept rough. The total number of overnight stays was 2,779.

120 residents stayed at our 44-bed hostel, The Elms, with an average stay of 244 days.

Therapy Centre

970 hours of one-to-one counselling sessions took place.

58 clients participated in our Flourish group sessions.

Social Enterprises and Employment Support

12 clients gained work experience and mechanic skills at the Bike Project. At our workshop, 157 bikes were reconditioned, 137 bikes were sold and 443 services were completed.

11 clients learned valuable barista and catering skills while on placement at the Kitchen Café – a partnership with Sunnyside Rural Trust at the council building in Hemel Hempstead.

5 individuals also started work experience or volunteering elsewhere around the community.

35 clients started a course or qualification to improve their employment prospects.

24 clients secured full-time or part-time employment – a 300% increase compared to 2023.

Of those who gained paid employment, 6 had done work experience at the Bike Project or Kitchen Café first.

Volunteering

146 people volunteered across our services, generously giving up around 7,140 hours of their time to help us.

Based on the national hourly average salary, the support we received over the year would equate to around £118,500.

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