What to do if you are homeless, rough sleeping,
or in a housing crisis
Councils, or “local authorities”, have a duty to help people experiencing homelessness.
If you are homeless, sleeping rough or facing a housing crisis, your first 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:
You can use the Government’s website to find your local council.
If you are currently sleeping on the streets, use StreetLink. This is the national rough sleeper referral line and will help you to tell St Mungo’s outreach teams, local authorities, and other homeless organisations about your situation and where you are sleeping rough. They will then connect you to local support and help you.
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 you’re sleeping rough or experiencing homelessness, you can also visit a day centre.
Day centres can help you by providing:
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.
If you’re in a housing crisis, sleeping rough should be a last resort. If you currently have a home or accommodation, try to do what you can to keep it.
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.
If you’re worried about paying your rent, you should speak to advisory organisations such as Citizen’s Advice, Step Change or Money Helper. They’ll be able to help you look into options like debt management plans, or direct you to help available to you.
We work with Refugee Action to help some people in crisis. You can contact the Refugee Council which offers advice and information about seeking asylum and being a refugee.
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