I need help
Seek Council Support
The Council (local authority) has 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 Homelessness team (by phone or online) to make a Homeless Application.
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 have 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
Use StreetLink
If you are currently sleeping on the streets, you can use StreetLink. This is the national rough sleeper referral line and will send an alert to a local Outreach Team informing them about your situation and where you are sleeping rough. They will then connect you to local support and help you by providing emergency help and looking at other solutions.
Contact Housing Organisations
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.
- Talk to your council and see what help they could 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.
Upcomming events
MAKE A REFERRAL TO USE CHESS SERVICES AND ACCOMMODATION
At CHESS we want to help you get back on your feet after your recent experience. Please complete this form if you want to make a referral for yourself to use CHESS Support & Accommodation services.
Are you worried about paying your rent?
If you’re worried about paying your rent, you should speak to advisory organisations such as Citizen’s Advice, Step Change or Money Helper who will advise you on help available to you.
If you are a Refugee
You can contact the Refugee Council which offers advice and information.