A staffing crisis may force the Winchester Churches Nightshelter to curtail its services and close for some evenings.

Its small budget means it only has one paid supervisor on duty all through the night and, in addition to this, it needs at least three volunteers on duty everynight.

Unless more volunteers are found soon, the shelter, in Jewry Street, may not be able to open every night, leaving the homeless of Winchester with nowhere to go.

The shelter currently offers vital emergency help to the homeless. It provides a safe and warm environment, a comfortable bed, a hot evening meal and breakfast. Staff also offer friendship and they can help clients to find better, more long-term accommodation.

Training for volunteers is mostly on the job, but a volunteer handbook is being drafted to help explain policies and procedures to new recruits. As well as overnight shifts, other posts that need to be covered are cooks, evening helpers and cleaners.

The nightshelter team is particularly looking for people who will stay at the shelter overnight from 9pm-7.45am on weekdays and until 8.30am on weekends. The evening helper shift is from 6pm-9pm and the cook's from 7pm-9pm.

Said project manager, Jonathan Walker: "We have 17 beds and we usually have 15 guests per night. We have never shut our doors yet and it is not something I want to do, but if people don't come forward to help us we may be forced to for health and safety reasons.

"In Hampshire, there is nowhere else like this-a direct-access shelter for these people. There are hostels, but they take time to get into. Here, people can just come in, have a hot meal and a bath and go the next day. We are looking for anyone who is willing to spare a few hours. Just being on the premises means we can stay open."

* To volunteer or for more details, call Jonathan on 01962 862050, or email him on nightshelter@winchesterchurches.fsnet.co.uk