The Garden House
The Garden House offers information, advice and support to the rough sleepers in Peterborough seven days a week. Our guests can receive food, drink and clothing.
βUpon arrival, I was greeted with a warm smile and a friendly hello. That was a pleasant experience that shall stay in my mind as a sunny day in the midst of a storm.β A guest at The Garden House (December 2023)
The doors to The Garden House, at the heart of Peterborough city centre opened on 8th October 2018 when it was felt that there was a real need to offer additional support to those we were able to help through the Peterborough Winter Night Shelter. At least one new person sleeping on the streets comes through our doors per day for information, advice, support and love to help them create the future they dreamed of, but in recent months felt was never possible.
We have linked up with service providers in Peterborough including City Council housing officers, GPs, employment agencies, alcohol and drugs support specialists, mental health teams, Police, hairdressers, chiropodists, and arts therapists. These services visit The Garden House on a regular basis to support people sleeping rough in Peterborough that come through our doors. To coordinate and lead all this, our project workers work tirelessly at the Garden House, supported by some amazing volunteers who are kind enough to donate their time.
βVolunteering makes me feel useful and I can share the knowledge I gained in my working career to help those coming into The Garden House. I like chatting to the staff and guests as well as making friends with the other volunteers. It feels like a family here.β
Carol (volunteer)
The Garden House is a project that really changes the lives of those that come through our doors, because people in the darkest of places are given hope and made to feel valued and supported during some of the biggest challenges they will ever face. We need your help to ensure that we can continue running this project to the very best of our abilities. Our aim is to have our own purpose built centre and much thought and prayer continues to be active in achieving this. If you are able to help financially or donate much-needed items to keep us running, please contact us β or donate here.
In 2024, we opened an outside unit containing shower and laundry facilities at the Garden House.
Giving people affected by homelessness with the means to wash themselves and clean their clothes will be hugely beneficial to their physical health. Many ailments associated with the service users of the Garden House are because of poor cleanliness. It is not uncommon for people to have cuts and wounds that, without the ability to remain clean and dry, will become infected and lead to more serious issues requiring hospital and more intense health interventions. The combination of the Garden House facility and our Health Outreach Bus providing onsite wound management and showers means people can avoid infections.
Equally as important, is the positive impact shower and washing facilities will have on peopleβs mental wellbeing. Our engagement with people affected by homelessness corresponds with national research on the barriers to health services; people experiencing homelessness feel embarrassed about accessing services as they are stared at in the waiting rooms and are self-conscious that they smell or look dishevelled.
Partner services at the Garden House
- Peterborough City Council Housing Team – They source rooms in hostels and supported accommodation across the city for those living on the streets to move into.
- DDOT (Dual Diagnosis Outreach Team) – As part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, the team provide mental health support and consultations to those homeless or in Temporary Accommodation.
- Boroughbury Medical Centre and Greater Peterborough Network – Nurses and doctors visit the Garden House every week to provide medical consultations to those who need it. They will utilise the Health Outreach Bus which is located onsite and provides a medical facility.
- CGL Aspire Peterborough – They offer one-to-one sessions, group work and substitute prescribing to help with the recovery from drugs and alcohol for those living on the streets.
- Fitness Rush – Every Tuesday they bring their mobile gym unit to the Garden House and provide guests with fitness equipment and support. Level 1 Qualification in Personal Training is also available to guests who wish to complete the programme.
- First Vision – An optician comes on the first Thursday of every month to provide eye tests to guests and orders a pair of glasses if required.
