Salvation Army homes for men: Victoria House Cold Weather Shelter

These are the records of Victoria House Cold Weather Shelter, 23-27 Tudor Street, London EC4Y 0DL. The collection also contains papers relating to Atlantic House Cold Weather Shelter, 47-49 Farringdon Street, London EC2, which operated from February to May 1992 and as a Severe Weather Shelter in the winter of 1994-1995.

The collection was received as two accessions deposited by the former manager of Victoria House Cold Weather Shelter. The original order of the records was partially intact and has been maintained wherever possible. Where no original order could be discerned a logical structure was imposed.

The records are arranged as follows:

VHS/1 Administration

VHS/2 Residents

VHS/3 Staff

VHS/4 Log books

VHS/5 Publications

VHS/6 Photographs

Victoria House operated as a Cold Weather Shelter between December and March each year from 1992 to 1998, providing temporary accommodation for homeless men during the winter months. Victoria House was an empty office building owned by the City of London Corporation. It was managed by The Salvation Army Social Services in partnership with the City of London Corporation, and was funded by the Department of the Environment under its Rough Sleepers Initiative.

Victoria House provided single and double occupancy bedrooms between 1 December and 31 March for up to 30 men per night along with public rooms and catering services. On some years additional lower quality accommodation space was supplied to shelter more individuals during spells of severe weather. It was a 'dry' (alcohol- and drug-free) shelter and advice, healthcare and resettlement services were made available to residents.

Most of this collection is closed to the public. Records of a personal nature relating to identified individuals are closed for the lifespan of the individual. When it is not possible to establish whether an individual has died, a closure period of 84 years (if the individual was an adult when the record was created) or 100 years (if the individual was a child when the record was created) is imposed under the Data Protection Act. Former residents can apply for access to their own records. Please enquire for details. Open files can be viewed in the reading room of The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre, open Tue-Fri 9.30-4.00. To make an appointment or to enquire about your own records, phone: 0207 326 7800; or email: heritage@salvationarmy.org.uk .

A multi-level description of this collection can be accessed in the International Heritage Centre's online catalogue: http://www.calmview.eu/SalvationArmy/CalmView/ . A paper catalogue is available in the reading room of the International Heritage Centre.