Depaul UK: Reliable Staffing for Emergency Hotel Provision

The Challenge

When the first wave of COVID-19 hit, Depaul UK needed to stand up emergency hotel provision for people sleeping rough at pace. The challenge was not simply filling shifts. The charity needed experienced staff who could arrive prepared, work confidently in a high-pressure environment, and support people with complex needs while public health guidance was changing almost week by week.

For Depaul, reliability was the starting point. Daniel Dumoulin, Head of Rough Sleeping Services, put it plainly: "The first thing we need is reliability, people to turn up when we're relying on them to turn up, and AGS have always delivered in that regard."

Depaul was also looking beyond the immediate emergency. It needed a staffing partner that could respond quickly in the short term while also supporting the charity's more complex operational needs over time.

The AGS Solution

At the height of the pandemic, AGS Support moved quickly to recruit, brief, and deploy experienced staff for Depaul UK's emergency hotel settings. The focus was on dependable delivery from day one: people who understood supported housing environments, could work professionally with vulnerable clients, and were ready to operate within fast-moving government guidance.

AGS maintained a consistent on-site presence and monitored delivery closely to ensure services remained safe, compliant, and responsive as requirements evolved. Rather than treating the work as a stop-gap assignment, AGS supported Depaul with a service model that could flex around the charity's needs.

As the immediate crisis eased, that support continued in a form shaped around Depaul UK's wider staffing requirements as a homelessness charity.

The Outcomes

The partnership delivered stability at a critical moment. One of the emergency hotels operated at 145 beds, and across the wider provision hundreds of people were supported safely through an exceptionally challenging period.

David DeVoy, Head of Business Development, reflected on the results:

"It is to our shared credit that the hotels, one with 145 beds, operated so effectively that no one of the hundreds of people that stayed with us caught COVID-19. Furthermore, when the hotels closed, the majority moved to more permanent accommodation, and records continue to indicate that very few have subsequently returned to the streets."

The outcome was not only a well-run emergency response. It was a service that protected people at a time of significant risk and helped many move on to more stable accommodation.

A Partnership Built on Reliability

What stands out in Depaul UK's experience is not simply that AGS filled urgent gaps. It is that AGS delivered the consistency and professionalism needed for a complex homelessness service under pressure. From the initial emergency hotel response through to ongoing support, AGS proved to be a partner Depaul could rely on when continuity mattered most.

If your organisation needs dependable staffing support for emergency accommodation, supported housing, or homelessness services, contact AGS Support.