Help someone now

What you need to know if you or someone else is experiencing homelessness or rough sleeping. In an emergency always call 999.

Contact the local authority

Councils, or ‘local authorities’ have a duty to help people experiencing homelessness. If you or someone else is homeless, sleeping rough or facing a housing crisis, your priority should be to contact your local authority’s Housing Options team to find out what help they can offer.

Depending on your circumstances, this could be:

Emergency accommodation – a place in a shelter or hostel
Longer-term accommodation – independent living or social housing. If possible, you should approach the council you or the person you are helping has a local connection to, usually in the area you’ve most recently lived.

You can use the Government’s website to find your local council.

If someone is sleeping rough

If you or someone else is sleeping on the streets, use StreetLink. This is the national rough sleeper referral app. St Mungo’s helps to run it in London.

It will inform outreach teams, local authorities and other homeless organisations about you or the person you are helping, including a rough sleeping location. StreetLink will connect you or the person you are helping to local support.

StreetLink’s volunteers and staff will help you as soon as they can – but please don’t wait. Seek other help in the meantime if you can. For example, contacting your local council, or visiting a day centre.

If someone still has accommodation

Sleeping rough should be a last resort. If you or the person you are helping currently has a home or accommodation, do what you can to keep it.

Talk to your council first and see what help they can offer you.
Call your bank or creditors to see what financial help might be possible.
Contact Shelter, a homelessness and housing advice charity, to see what help is available to you. Shelter will be able to help you understand your rights, access your needs, and help you to explore the options available to you. You can contact Shelter’s Housing advice helpline on 0808 800 4444 (free from landlines and on most mobile networks), or by visiting their website.

Taking the first step is important as it may mean you have more options.

Search for local support services

If you’re sleeping rough or experiencing homelessness, you can also visit services without a referral, like a day centre. Day centres can help you by providing:

Food, shelter and washing facilities
Housing advice
Skills and employment training
Social and support networks

Not all day centres offer everything, but staff will be able to direct you to the help you need if they can’t help you themselves. You can find the nearest option for you by looking at Homeless Link’s searchable database of homeless services.