Not just for Christmas

There is a simple reason for this: the "rolling shelter" programme, introduced in 1999 to replace traditional winter shelters.

The benefit of the "rolling shelter" system is that beds are available all year round, rather than just in the cold winter months. These beds are not always in the same place; instead, they "roll" between empty buildings as they become available.

Also, traditional shelters placed no limit on length of stay, and so were usually full by February, whereas rolling shelters limit stay to an average three weeks before move-on accommodation must be found.

The idea of more permanent rolling shelters was part of the government's drive, overseen by the rough sleepers unit, to reduce the numbers of people sleeping rough. While the success of the wider policy has been called into question – the accuracy of headcounts was heavily criticised – rolling shelters are regarded as a vast improvement on the previous system.

Over the past three years, St Mungo's has run a total of 12 shelters in London, opening three at any one time and catering for a maximum of 120 beds. Facilities include rooms with both single and double beds, to cater for both individuals and couples, kitchen facilities, free meals and communal lounges and dining rooms. Shelter staff work with primary healthcare services in assessing rough sleepers' needs and with benefits agency outreach teams so that residents can access benefits more easily and work out claims problems.

Mike McCall, St Mungo's director of operations, explains: "The [old] shelters were run in a very haphazard fashion so people weren't assessed effectively and often the service was misused. Anyone could stay rent-free for four months, so we had people coming in who didn't necessarily need to be there. It was enabling people to continue living unsettled street lifestyles."

In contrast to the comparatively ad-hoc nature of winter shelters, rolling shelters use a more targeted approach. Staff are trained to address the long-term needs of the street homeless and settle them into permanent accommodation. In addition, whereas a number of organisations including Centrepoint, the YMCA and Crisis oversaw the old winter shelters, St Mungo's alone oversees the shelters, so management is more streamlined.

Setting up a shelter is simple in theory, but it can be incredibly time-consuming and locations for new shelters are always subject to residents' say-so. The initial step for St Mungo's is to find empty buildings with conversion potential. Staff send letters to housing associations and local authority planning departments every few months, asking them if they know of any properties. It can take a long time to find somewhere suitable. McCall says: "There simply aren't enough empty buildings out there. We always try and persuade people to let us use somewhere by pointing out that we can improve it through refurbishments and pay the council tax on it. At the end of the day, it's more beneficial in use than if it was idle."

After finding a potential premises, St Mungo's assesses what refurbishment needs to be done. A budget is drawn up for each building and presented to the Homelessness Directorate, which pays for work ranging from a lick of paint to putting in a kitchen or new radiators. If the costs are approved, St Mungo's sets about applying for planning permission from the local authority – another time-consuming process – and consulting local residents and business.

"This can be difficult," McCall admits, "because to many, a shelter next door is not the most attractive option to have as a neighbour. In some cases ,in order to make a shelter work, we have to guarantee that we'll hold coordinated meetings with local businesses, residents and councillors every few months to make sure that there haven't been any problems.

"There have been situations where the neighbours have said no to a planned hostel and we've had to look elsewhere. It's a big obstacle when that happens and usually it's because people are worried about the impact on their neighbourhood and house prices."

The next step is easier – getting enough people into the shelters. Every evening, contact and assessment teams phone to find out how many vacancies there are in the shelters. In some cases there simply won't be enough space for everyone that night, but the teams will try to arrange for them to go in the following day. Working out when people will be moved on from the shelters is fairly simple because of the maximum stay period.

The programme has been criticised for seemingly operating a "conveyor belt" approach to rough sleeping – critics ask, what's to stop a resettled rough sleeper from returning to the streets? Although there is no research on how often this happens, programme directors admit that the shelters are not a miracle cure for rough sleeping. They are, though, says McCall, a step in the right direction.

"If people do turn up again we don't see it as a failure on our part or theirs because we have to help them try to take the next step. Some people can do it first time; others can't. But we try and meet the need that's out there and provide people with options."