Our hubs
Bishop Auckland Hub
A warm welcome, a hot meal and a helping hand. Our Bishop Auckland hub is a safe place to come in from the cold and get the support you need.
Our hub
Support on your doorstep
Drop in for a hot meal, a shower and clean clothes, or sit down with our team for housing, benefits and wellbeing support. No appointment needed — everyone is welcome.
- 123 Newgate Street, Bishop Auckland, County Durham, DL14
- 01388 747892
- hello@cornerstone-north.org
Opening hours
| Monday – Friday | 9:00am – 4:00pm |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 10:00am – 2:00pm |
| Sunday | Closed |
What's available
- Accessible showers
- Housing support
- Counselling
- Clothing & essentials
- Free wifi & phone
- Therapy dog
- Lockers
- Benefits advice
Our services
What's available at the hub
All of it free, and none of it needing an appointment. Come in, get warm, and take whatever you need.
Free internet and phone access
Get online and make calls for nothing — apply for housing, book an appointment, chase a benefits claim, or just ring home.
1-2-1 housing support
Sit down with a support worker one to one. Help with homelessness applications, finding somewhere to stay, benefits and paperwork.
Bob, our therapy dog
A calm, uncomplicated welcome. For a lot of people, Bob is the reason they come through the door the first time.
Accessible showers
Hot showers with step-free, wheelchair-accessible facilities, plus toiletries and somewhere to get changed.
Lockers for rough sleepers
Somewhere secure to leave your things during the day, so you are not carrying everything you own around with you.
Essential items
Food, warm clothing and sanitary products — given freely, without a form to fill in or a question to answer.
Partner services
The specialists come to you
Getting help shouldn't mean three bus journeys and four appointments in four different buildings. So rather than sending people across the county, we bring the specialists here — housing, health, recovery and legal advice, under one roof, on a day you were coming in anyway.
Partner service
County Durham Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service
Free, confidential support for anyone struggling with drugs or alcohol, wherever you are with it. The service runs Saddler House here in Bishop Auckland, and its team comes into the hub so you can start a conversation without making it official first.
- Support whether you want to cut down or stop altogether
- Harm reduction, needle exchange and safer-use advice
- A dedicated outreach team for people sleeping rough
Partner service
Adult Wellbeing Services
Free health and lifestyle support across County Durham, commissioned by Durham County Council and delivered with the NHS and the Pioneering Care Partnership. Health problems get missed when you have nowhere to live — this is a chance to get checked over by someone who won't rush you.
- Free health checks to catch problems early
- Stop smoking support from trained advisers
- Healthy eating, weight and mental wellbeing advice
Partner service
DASH — Durham Action on Single Housing
An independent County Durham charity that has been housing single people since 1972. DASH is a registered housing provider with supported accommodation across the county, and its team is part of our community drop-ins.
- Supported housing for single adults with higher support needs
- WellNest floating support — one-off or ongoing housing advice
- Referrals reviewed and answered within three working days
Partner service
Durham County Council rough sleeper team
The council's housing options and rough sleeper team — the statutory route into emergency accommodation. They can help whether you are already on the street or about to lose where you are staying, and they will help you even if you have none of your paperwork.
- Emergency accommodation and a longer-term housing plan
- Help even if you have no ID or paperwork
- Worried about someone sleeping rough? Tell StreetLink
Partner service
TMJ Legal Services
A North East law firm with offices in Durham, Hartlepool, Peterlee and Wingate, working here since 1986. Housing and money problems are usually legal problems underneath, and their accredited specialists can take on the parts that need a solicitor.
- Housing and tenancy disputes
- Family, employment and personal injury matters
- Representation under Legal Aid where you qualify
Partner service
Sleep Pod
A charity that makes insulated emergency shelters for people with nowhere indoors to go. A pod is not a home and nobody pretends it is — but it is warm, it packs down small enough to carry, and it keeps people alive on the nights that would otherwise be dangerous.
- Insulated, wind and rain resistant
- Light enough to pack up and carry
- Body heat can hold +5°C inside when it is -16°C out