The Gatehouse

The Gatehouse is a drop-in cafe with an open door for anyone who is 25 or over. It is open Monday – Friday 5.00-7.00 pm, Sundays 4.00-6.00pm, at the St Giles Parish Rooms, 10 Woodstock Road, near the centre of Oxford. 

The Gatehouse is a unique homeless service because it’s delivered by volunteers – ordinary members of the public.

Our guests (service users) have told us they like The Gatehouse because it’s run by people who choose to be here – you, the volunteers.

Allow three and a half hours for a café session. Ideally you need to arrive at 4 pm (Mon to Fri) or 3 pm (Sun) to prepare food for the café and put out tables and chairs. 

You will be part of a team directed by a Coordinator who is an experienced volunteer and supported by three Project Workers.

You will start off in the kitchen, getting to know other volunteers and the way the café works. You can then try working in the servery, in the main hall or on the door. 

Some volunteers also run our ‘clothes store’ or oversee the computers in the activity room.

Normally volunteers have several roles and activities in any café session: washing up, serving tea, giving out sandwiches, collecting plates and ‘mingling’ (chatting to guests).

Although the Coordinator allocates roles, you can let them know your preferences. If you’re a ‘backstage’ person you can opt to stay in the kitchen or help sort our clothes store. If you enjoy meeting guests, then you might like being on the door, serving food or ‘mingling’ in the main hall.