What is Crossways?

Crossways is our winter emergency accommodation project for some of Cambridge’s most vulnerable rough sleepers, providing twenty rooms for those who would otherwise be on the streets, plus three emergency pop-up beds during SWEP (Severe Weather Emergency Protocol) periods.

Open from 1st November until 31st March, each guest has their own furnished room. We encourage them to make the space feel like their own. Every guest has private bathroom facilities. Most have an en-suite shower room with sink and toilet. We provide them with essentials such as toiletries and underwear upon their arrival and throughout their stay.

Every evening, a two-course meal is available to guests. These meals are either prepared by our dedicated volunteer team or by support organisations within the business or wider community. Guests are welcome to eat with others around the table, sit in the communal lounge, or take the meal to their rooms. They are also free to prepare simple meals for themselves throughout the day in the communal dining area.

Chris from It Takes A City is standing in a kitchen receiving a certificate from a representative of Dogs Trust
A dining table decorated with Christmas lights and tablecloth. A picture of a penguin in a scarf in the foreground
Two long dining tables decorated for Christmas dinner with lights and crackers
Two long dining tables decorated for Christmas dinner with lights and crackers
Person being served Christmas dinner atCrossways. There is a plate in the foreground with several serving dished full of different food stuffs behind the plate
Four female volunteers with arms around each other and smiling at the camera. They are standing in a large kitchen
Three female volunteers stand behind a steel counter that contains serving dishes with the elements of a Christmas dinner in each.
Members of the ITAC team collecting a certificate from Housing Justice.

Read Our Latest Crossways Report

What People Say About Us

“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.”

Crossways Guest

“I don’t know what I would do without all the support you have provided. I feel so lucky to have been able to start my journey at Crossways.”

Crossways Guest

“Crossways play a vital role in providing extra bed spaces over the winter period, when the rough sleepers we work with are more vulnerable to the elements.”

Jamie Hilton, Team Leader, Street Outreach (Cambridge)

Crossways Case Studies

  • Martin

    Martin is a 39-year-old male who has lost several forms of accommodation over the last decade, due to a combination of behavioural issues and the accumulation of arrears. [...]

  • Nathan

    Nathan is in his late 30s and grew up in a difficult home situation. Other family members had experienced homelessness, and Nathan found himself sleeping in a tent [...]

  • Peter

    Peter is in his 50s and originally from Romania. Although he had worked intermittently, Peter’s challenges round binge drinking meant he had lost accommodation on several occasions and [...]

  • Michael

    Michael, an armed forces veteran in his mid-30s, had served a long prison sentence for a serious assault. Upon release, he returned to Cambridge and began rough sleeping. [...]

  • Helen

    Helen, now in her mid-30s, had grown up in a dysfunctional family. Her parents had introduced Helen to drugs whilst in her teens, and she was often in [...]

  • Jenny

    Jenny is in her 50s and in 2023 had been living in specialist shared accommodation where she was receiving support for some mental health challenges. Her behaviour was [...]