This charity converts shipping containers into homes for homeless people

Help Bristol’s Homeless is an organisation that has been supporting marginalised communities in Bristol since 2017, providing temporary accommodation to people experiencing homelessness by converting shipping containers into homes.

In England in autumn 2024, it was estimated that 4,667 people were sleeping rough on the streets. A new census from St Mungo’s, The Nelson Trust, One25, Shelter and Bristol City Council has found that there are 23 times more women sleeping rough in Bristol than government figures indicate.

“I try to put a roof over the heads of anyone who needs our support,” founder and former restaurateur Jasper Thompson says. “We started off with one caravan on Malago Road and built it from there. I started off by giving out essential items: socks, hats, gloves, hot drinks and sandwiches. Then from there, I decided I’ve either got to make money, keep my restaurant or commit to helping the homeless. I committed to helping the homeless because I could see how they all benefitted from the help I was giving them at the time. But I felt I could do even more.

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“We convert shipping containers into homes for homeless people. Homeless people are people sleeping rough, sofa surfing, living in camper vans, caravans, all that kind of stuff.”

The charity now hosts 32 converted containers in its village base, which also acts as a social hub through art sales, a volunteer-run garden and cafe offering affordable and nutritious meals. Each home is built and funded through sponsorship, offering a secure alternative to rough sleeping. Sponsor supporters include John Lewis, Aviva and Thresholds, a programme empowering women to excel in different career pathways.

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“My first unit was sponsored by Rob Del Naja from Massive Attack,” Thompson says. “Lots of companies have realised their corporate responsibility, and they do try to help. Our accommodation is second to none. It helps people with their dignity, giving them their own space and giving them a chance to think and do the right things.”

The initiative has attracted wider interest, with similar projects now being coordinated in New Jersey, Weymouth and Manchester. Residents of Help Bristol’s Homeless Village receive safe accommodation, mental health support and opportunities to engage in social interactions. A team of in-house professional experts are available to offer guidance on topics including addiction, housing, employment and health. 

“What I found is that when people live individually in the woods or tents, away from other people, they want very little communication,” Thompson adds.

“We try to bring this into a gated community where everyone in here needs to look out for each other, because that sort of skillset you lose when living in a tent or a car.”

Simon Hill, aged 44, has been staying with Help Bristol’s Homeless since July 2024. “When I became homeless, no one else was helpful,” he says.

“This place has really helped and changed my life completely. I’m a recovering alcoholic; I quit drugs. I was in a bad place when I came here but I’m eight months clean of that now. When we’re feeling down, we can always talk to somebody. Communication here is pretty good.”

After staying at the village, residents progress into new work positions and further accommodation in the local community. Thompson says, “We have this motto called ‘together we can make a difference, because I can’t do it on my own’. The council can’t do it on their own, so we have to pull together.” 

The charity’s annual CEO Sleepout event has inspired more people to join their campaign to end rough sleeping by inviting local business leaders to experience first-hand the dangers of homelessness.

“We engage with other establishments and charities and signpost our people to them because we can’t do everything,” Thompson says. “It’s good to reach out to other people and make sure they know that we’re there.”

Help Bristol’s Homeless is a part of a collaborative network of charities tackling the roots of housing insecurity and rough sleeping in the city. Their collaboration with BillyChip has seen a container be converted, with the upcoming music event BillyChip Live generating funds to build three new container homes in the village. The November event will host an exclusive music performance from superstar DJ James Hype. 

Jack Gascoigne from BillyChip says: “Not only is it providing long-term accommodation for somebody while supporting a local grassroots cause, but it’s also a really good way of proving the business model of BillyChips. If we sell enough of these chips and you give them out, the proceeds can go towards the eradication of homelessness. It isn’t just something that’s providing teas and coffees.

“We want to see charity in the third sector work more collaboratively. If we all shared resources and pulled together, the impact we could have on our net beneficiary, which is homeless people, would be a lot, lot bigger.”

Find out more or donate at Help Bristol’s Homeless.

James Hype to headline world-first concert, where a night out builds a home 

Global DJ James Hype is bringing his explosive Hï Ibiza SYNC show to Bristol this November for a one-night-only, world-first charity concert where every ticket directly builds micro-homes for people experiencing homelessness.

Held at the Bristol Beacon on Saturday 22 November 2025, BillyChip Live will be one of just two UK performances by James Hype this year, and the first time a 360° show will be performed at the venue. It’s an event that promises to be bigger than his Ibiza show, and tickets are on sale now, priced at £27.50.

The show is being delivered in partnership with pioneering local charity Help Bristol’s Homeless, with the goal of creating three new micro-homes in the city from the proceeds. Each ticket sold will directly fund the construction of these homes.

The event is a new kind of concert series from the creators of BillyChip, the award-winning platform reinventing how to support people who are experiencing homelessness. Now, that same ethos is taking to the stage. BillyChip Live invites fans, artists and venues to ‘chip in’, helping fund permanent homes, not just temporary fixes.

Bristol Beacon will transform into a 360° venue, surrounding DJ Hype with fans on all sides for a fully immersive performance.

Reopening last year, Bristol Beacon has undergone a world-leading acoustic redevelopment by leading specialists Levitt Bernstein. The result is a venue that now ranks among the UK’s most sonically versatile, engineered to elevate everything from string quartets to big-room bass.

Help Bristol’s Homeless founder Jasper Thompson will take part in campaigning for the event, and also in follow-up storytelling for his project to convert three more shipping containers into new, fully equipped homes – helping people into safe accommodation and changing even more lives.

Tickets are available at Bristol Beacon’s website.

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