Need support?
If you're rough sleeping or at risk of homelessness, we're here
You don't need a referral, an appointment or anything with you. Walk into one of our hubs, give us a ring or speak to our outreach team — and we'll take it from there, together.
You're welcome here
There's no wrong way to ask for help
Whether you're sleeping rough tonight, sofa-surfing, facing eviction or just worried about what happens next — it's the right time to talk to us. You won't be judged, and you won't be turned away for asking too early.
Our hubs are open to everyone. Come in for a cup of tea and a hot meal, use the showers, or sit down with someone who can help you work out your options.
How we can help
What's available at our hubs
All of it is free, and all of it is open to you.
Hot meals & essentials
A proper hot meal, food to take away, toiletries, warm clothing and sleeping bags.
Showers & clean clothes
Somewhere to get clean and change, with toiletries and fresh clothing provided.
Housing advice
Practical help to find accommodation, deal with landlords and keep a tenancy going.
Benefits & paperwork
Help with claims, forms, ID, bank accounts and getting registered with a GP.
Counselling & wellbeing
A safe, confidential space to talk, with trained and compassionate support.
Training & paid work
Joinery training and real paid work in our workshop when you're ready for it.
We'll come to you
Our outreach team works on the street, so you don't have to come to us first.
Housing Support
Immediate access accommodation for people with nowhere else to go — warm, safe and staffed.
What happens next
How to get support
No referral needed. No forms to fill in before you arrive.
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Get in touch
Walk into a hub during opening hours, call us, or speak to our outreach team on the street.
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We'll sit down together
A support worker will listen, without judgement, and talk through what you need right now.
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Sort the urgent things
Food, a shower, warm clothes and somewhere safe to sleep — before anything else.
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Make a plan
Housing, benefits, health, work — we'll help you take it one step at a time, at your pace.
If it's urgent
When you need help right now
Our hubs aren't open around the clock, but you still have options tonight. If you're rough sleeping in County Durham or Hartlepool, get in touch with the council.
- Contact your local council's housing options team — they have a legal duty to help
- Tell StreetLink where you are and the local outreach team will come to you
- If someone is in immediate danger or unwell, call 999
- Outside our opening hours, our answerphone explains where to go tonight
Sleeping rough tonight?
You can put yourself on the map
StreetLink connects people sleeping rough anywhere in England and Wales to their local outreach team. If you are somewhere we do not reach, or it is the middle of the night, you can tell them where you are yourself.
You do not have to wait for somebody else to notice you.
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Open StreetLink
It is a website, not an app — it works in any phone browser, and it is free to use.
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Say where you are
Drop a pin on the map and describe the spot in your own words. A doorway, a car park, a street name. Roughly is fine.
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The team comes to you
It goes to the outreach service for that area. Around Hartlepool and County Durham, that is often us.
Common questions
Things people often ask us
If your question isn't here, just ask — there's no such thing as a daft question.
Do I need a referral to come to you?
No. Our hubs are drop-in, so you can simply come in during opening hours. If you've been referred by the council, a support worker or another charity, that's fine too — but it isn't necessary.
What if I'm not sleeping rough yet?
Please come anyway. If you're sofa-surfing, facing eviction, leaving prison or hospital, or fleeing a difficult situation at home, the earlier we talk the more options you'll have.
Will you tell anyone I've been?
What you tell us is confidential. We'll only share information with other services if you ask us to, or in the rare case where someone is at serious risk of harm — and we'll talk to you about it first wherever we can.
Do I need ID or a local connection?
Not to get a meal, a shower or a chat with us. Some housing options do depend on a local connection, and we'll help you work out where you stand and who else can help if we can't.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes. Well-behaved dogs are welcome at our hubs — Bob, our own resident dog, will be pleased to see them.
I'm worried about someone else. What should I do?
Get in touch and tell us where and when you have seen them, and our outreach team will go and look for them. You can also send an alert through StreetLink, which reaches the outreach team for whatever area they are in. If they are in immediate danger or need medical help, call 999 first.
You don't have to sort this out on your own
Come and see us, give us a ring, or drop us a line. Whatever's happened, we'll help you work out the next step.