StreetLink London

Find out more about how StreetLink works in the capital through the self-referral line

StreetLink London

Find out more about how StreetLink works in the capital through the self-referral line

Everything you need to know

StreetLink London, is a self-referral phone line for people experiencing homelessness across London. Our team works everyday of the year, from 9 am to 9 pm.

Our core aim is to assess the caller’s situation, engage in supportive conversation and plan viable routes towards ending their homelessness. As part of our service, we work closely with outreach teams, sending information to them so that they can go out to meet people who are sleeping rough.

For many, meeting a member of an outreach team is the first step on their journey to recovery. For others, it is discussing the complexities of their situation with our team and working on a plan to move forward, together.

You can also make a StreetLink alert by visiting their website.

What is StreetLink and how does it work?

StreetLink is a referral service that can be used to help someone sleeping rough. The service can be accessed in two ways: through our website (for members of the public that want to help someone sleeping rough, and anyone that wants to access the service that is rough sleeping outside of London) and our phone line for people rough sleeping in London.

If you want to help someone you’ve seen sleeping rough, but don’t know what to do, StreetLink’s website is a simple way to take action. Send an alert to the website, providing the exact location of where you have seen someone sleeping. If the outreach team is able to find someone, they’ll do an assessment to see what their situation is, connect them with local services, and work to help them move off the streets for good.

Our phone line, StreetLink London, is for people who are currently rough sleeping in London. On the phone, we only work with clients directly or people calling with the client present. We also offer an interpretation service.

During our calls, we discuss the client’s situation and connect people who are rough sleeping with the local outreach team. We also try to signpost the caller to local organisations, such as local housing options, where they can make a homeless application. We aim to discuss a client’s case using housing legislation as our guide, empowering the client with this information. We can also direct the caller to day centres, where they can get food, showers and advice during the day time.

What makes a good StreetLink alert?

When making an alert, we need a really clear location. You might identify a nearby building or street. Some people use what3words, which breaks an area down into 3×3 meter squares, which is especially useful if someone’s rough sleeping in a forest or woodland area.

The outreach teams who respond to our alerts get lots of referrals to attend, so it makes it easier for them to reach as many people as possible.

Describing what the person is wearing and any standout characteristics is helpful too.

You can make a StreetLink alert by visiting their website.

Please remember that StreetLink is not an emergency response service. If someone requires urgent medical attention, call 999.

How can I get involved?

We’re always on the lookout for volunteers on the telephone line. Especially as we head towards winter time, when we tend to get very busy. We have about 40 volunteers at the moment, but we want to get back to where we were pre-pandemic, when we had around 80. It would help us to reach so many more people.

Most of our work is volunteer led, and we’re so proud of the work they do. When people first come in, they might be a bit nervous about having to get on the phone. But we provide lots of training and listen in to their first calls, so that if there’s any difficult situations, they know what to do. It’s great to see our volunteers grow more confident and feel that they’re making a difference.

If you’re interested in volunteering with our London-based StreetLink team, and would like more information, click here.

StreetLink London

StreetLink London

Everything you need to know

What is StreetLink and how does it work?

What makes a good StreetLink alert?

How can I get involved?

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