If you see someone you think is under 18, or is an adult in immediate danger or needing urgent medical care call 999.
If you are concerned about an adult you have seen sleeping rough, please contact Streetlink via their website. They are a national organisation that operates 24/7 to gather and pass on timely and accurate information to local groups like us about people who are sleeping rough so that the person can be offered support.
You can also contact us on 01494 447699 or email: contact@wyhoc.org.uk
The winter night shelter is FREE.
All local emergency accommodation (of which there is very little apart from our shelter) for people who are found to be homeless is free. There is no charge at all, no nightly fees or deposits.
If someone asks you for money for an emergency or shelter place, please put them in contact with us as soon as possible.
Giving cash might help some people in the very short term and we encourage people to view every person they see who they think might be homeless as a human who needs and is entitled to a home to build a live and thrive.
However, giving cash to people on the street won't end homelessness. If it did, it would have worked by now. Ensuring we know about people you're worried about, so we can get them tailored help and any support they are entitled, to is a great way to bring their homelessness to an end.
And don't forget, for every one person you see living on the street who is homeless, 99 other people are hiding away for their safety, sleeping on a sofa, riding the night bus to avoid being alone in the dark, living in a squat, or in some form of emergency and temporary accommodation. That's not right and by supporting our work, you can help bring homelessness to an end.
Homelessness is high in Buckinghamshire, and despite Buckinghamshire Council being required and able to provide some people with emergency and temporary accommodation, too many fall outside the help they offer. That's where we come in. We offer shelter to people who would be forced to sleep outside in the winter.
Every year, hundreds of people become homeless in south Buckinghamshire and it can happen to anyone. The causes of homelessness are wide ranging:
This is all happening while there is a severe shortage of affordable housing and an increasingly unforgiving welfare system.
While night shelters can never replace a permanent home, they play a vital role in saving lives during the coldest months. Thanks to the generosity of local churches offering their buildings, and the many volunteers who bring warmth and community, our winter shelter provides a safe place to stay at a time of year when it is most needed.
Because these venues are not designed for long-term living, we do not run the shelter all year round. Instead, we focus our resources on making the winter night shelter the very best it can be and, at the same time, helping every guest work towards a more secure future. Our specialist workers take time with each person to understand their situation and their hopes, supporting them to move into a home of their own when the shelter closes.
Alongside this, Wycombe Homeless Connection is working with the council and charity partners to explore options for more permanent accommodation for those who need it. Until then, our priority is to provide safety through the winter and to do all we can to help people move on from homelessness for good.
A person might be newly homeless and don't know what their options are, or are too frightened to ask for help. See below for what you can do to help.
Not everyone who is offered a place in the shelter will take it, often for complex reasons it can be hard for people not in their situation to understand. But we respect an individual's right to choose and will continue to work with everyone we can to bring hope, help and a home.
Also, some people you see on the street may not be homeless but might say they are. We know some people say they are on the street because they can't afford shelter. Our shelter, and all local emergency accommodation for people who are found to be homeless is FREE; there is no charge at all, no nightly fees or deposits.
What you can do to help.
If you see someone you think is under 18, or is an adult in immediate danger or needing urgent medical care, call 999.
If you are concerned about an adult you have seen sleeping rough, please contact Streetlink via their website. They are a national organisation that gathers and passes on timely and accurate information to local groups like us about people who are sleeping rough so that the person can be offered support.
And you can contact us.
We offer places in the shelter to people we know who would have no other option but to sleep on the streets in the winter.
We work with people who come to us, who are referred to us by other services, or who we meet in our outreach work, often through the public making us aware of someone they are worried about.
If we think the council has a duty to help them, we will work with them on that. If we think they have no other options and it is a suitable and safe option for them we will offer them a stay in our shelter.
While the shelter is open we work with our guests to help them find a way out of homelessness.
For some, this can be straightforward if their homelessness is recent, or they didn’t know about options they may have.
For others, it is much harder as they may have been homeless for a long time and have lots of complications. However we never give up.
Most people do not return to staying on the streets after a stay in the night shelter and if any do not have accommodation lined up for them once it closes in the spring, we will continue to work with them for as long as it takes.
The shelter is kindly hosted at seven churches in or close to High Wycombe town centre.
We set up beds, a place to eat and an area for socialising.
We use the calm and warm environment the shelter provides to work with our guests to help them find a home for good and do everything we can to avoid anyone having to return to life on the street. Guests will be able to get their laundry done and have showers. The guests, staff and volunteers share a hot evening meal and there is time for socialising, laundry, showers, resting. Our support workers and trained volunteers work with our guests on their situations and opportunities.
A night volunteer team makes sure everyone gets a good night’s sleep. The morning team helps guests wake up, have breakfast, and set off for their day. The team clear up the venue.
The shelter wouldn’t run without volunteers and we need you!
You have to have turned 18 years old before 2 February 2026 to volunteer.
Please apply to volunteer as soon as possible. All volunteers must be approved before starting and there is a training session volunteers must attend before volunteering at the shelter. These sessions start in October and from mid-November we will be asking people to offer which specific evening, nights and or mornings they can help.
Whether you’re already a WHC volunteer or want to get started everything you need is here:
YES! Our shelter appeal is urgent and live now.
Your gift will help us to bring help and hope to people who would otherwise be forced to sleep on the street this winter.
Thank you! See our Giving Goods page. Have a look there for what our current needs are, and other places you can donate to if we can’t accept your donation.