Get Help

Souper Shelters

Get Help

If you or someone you know is homeless, you can use this page to direct you to the support that you need. There is no easy one-size-fits-all solution to homelessness and how to deal with it - we recommend calling and speaking to a professional on any of the numbers we detail below. The support you qualify for depends on your on your personal circumstances, your dependents and whether you need any help beyond finding a home or place to stay.

If you need to talk to someone now call one of these numbers:

Shelter have a free Housing Advice Helpline on 0808 800 4444. They are open from 8am-8pm on weekdays and 9am to 5pm on weekends. Citizen’s Advice have online, practical information. Call them on 03444 111 444 (helpline for England). Calls to this service cost the same as calling 01 and 02 numbers. Samaritans have a helpline that runs 24/7 on 116 123 - read more on their website here.

If you have nowhere to stay, search for a place on the Homeless Link site. Most hostels and night shelters in London will need a referrals (usually from an agency) to let you stay - you should call Shelter, Citizen’s Advice or the Samaritans (details above) to find out more. Some hostels allow you to self-refer - which means you can call them up in person. Be aware that a 'direct access' hostel will usually let you move in straight away, but others do run a waiting list.

If you are homeless now, or going to be homeless in the next 28 days, you can apply to your local council for help finding somewhere to live. Find out how here.

If the council thinks that you qualify for short-term emergency housing they should find you a place to stay immediately.
They will then assess whether you qualify for longer-term housing.
If you don't qualify for help, the council should still advise you on how to find somewhere else to stay.

You can get free food at day centres, soup kitchens and food banks. Follow these links to find the following:

Find your nearest day centre at Homeless UK.
Find your nearest soup run at The Pavement.
Find your nearest food bank at The Trussell Trust.

Day centres can help by providing the facilities to shower and do washing - as well as health checks, classes and advice. Call Shelter’s free advice helpline on 0808 800 4444 or search Homeless Link to find a centre near you. You can get healthcare from a specialist medical centre - find out if there is one near you through The Pavement. Register with a doctor using a family member or friend’s address, or the address of your hostel, day centre or doctor’s surgery. You can find a doctor in your area through NHS Choices or by calling 111.

If you know someone who is sleeping rough you can contact StreetLink to get them help finding a place to stay and other support. The service is completely anonymous so you won’t have to give them any details about yourself. You should call 999 if you think the person sleeping rough needs urgent medical assistance.

If you are homeless you are still entitled to claim benefits. If your benefits were paid directly into your bank or post office account then this will continue. If they were not, you should still be able to collect benefit cheques from your nearest Jobcentre Plus office. You can also use a family member or friend’s address, or the address of your hostel, to claim benefits if you haven’t already - find out more on GOV.UK. You can also get help claiming benefits from some day centres.