Small Can Be Mighty!

25/06/2025

Eve from Housing Justice presents award to Crossways team Small charities like ours can sometimes feel drowned out by the “Big Players”, even though we make up 96% of the charity sector in the UK.

This Small Charities Week we wanted to blow our own trumpet and tell you about the support we give to those experiencing homelessness in Cambridge.

Crossways is our award-winning winter emergency accommodation project. From November to April each year we provide a home for some of Cambridge’s most vulnerable people who would otherwise be sleeping rough. Last winter we supported 43 individuals, working with our partners to help 26 of them find next stage accommodation.

‘I’ve got a bit of a bad history with hostels, but they (the staff at Crossways) were only interested in where I am now. The staff are just brilliant. They’ve helped me endlessly. The food here is amazing. I’m going to miss this place when I leave. It’s touched me’

“The staff are absolute diamonds. They bend over backwards to help you. I’ve got all my confidence back and feel that I want to live again ”

The Haven is our overnight drop-in space for women, open on Mondays and Thursdays (8pm-8am). It’s there to support homeless and vulnerable women in the centre of Cambridge, offering hot food, drinks, a shower, clothes washing and a safe place to relax. We also open on a Friday afternoon (3-5.30pm) with support from our partner organisations. In the first six months The Haven supported 24 women, 17 of whom were sleeping rough when first accessing the space.

‘The Haven is a godsend, a long overdue female-led service that offers us somewhere to shower, eat, sleep, relax or just to get some respite from the stress of being on the streets. A little bit of normality and home comforts, even just 2 nights a week, can make the week much more bearable’

Our Survive & Thrive service provides year-round, flexible support to former Crossways residents and others on their journey from the streets into more settled accommodation. Support is tailored to the individual and might include tenancy sustainment, resettlement support, meals, food parcels, practical help, mentoring and befriending, employment outreach, pastoral care and welfare visits. Over 30 individuals were supported by the team last year.

Small Can Be Mighty!

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