How can I help someone experiencing homelessness?

Homelessness Services offers some guidance on what you should do if you see a person sleeping rough or experiencing homelessness.

It is not always easy to know what to do or how to respond if you see someone who appears to be sleeping rough or begging. What matters most is seeing past the label of ‘a homeless person’ and responding with compassion, safety and dignity. Everyone is an individual and people’s situations can be complex – someone who is begging may not always be living on the streets, and not everyone feels confident approaching someone directly.

Here are some ways you can help or respond:

Call emergency services

Call 999 if the person is under 18, is with someone under 18, needs medical help, or is in immediate danger.

Contact an outreach team

You can help connect someone to local support services. Local outreach teams will follow up, usually at night when people sleeping rough are most visible.

In England and Wales, use thestreetlink.org.uk to send an alert.

In Northern Ireland, contact the Housing Executive on 03448 920 900 or information@nihe.gov.uk.

In Dublin, contact the Dublin Region Assertive Street Outreach Service on 01 872 0185 or info@dublinoutreach.ie.

Offer practical help

Supporting someone who is sleeping rough can be meaningful when done in a safe, compassionate and trauma-informed way.

1. Engage with respect and empathy

Acknowledge the person with a greeting or eye contact if you feel comfortable. Gently ask if they want anything – never assume what they need.

2. Offer practical items if wanted

You might provide them with food and bottled water, warm clothing, blankets or sleeping bags, hygiene items – such as toothbrushes, wipes, soap, menstrual products, sunscreen – or vouchers for food, cafés or transport. Again, never assume what they need or want.

3. Help connect them to local resources

People sleeping rough often know their local services well, so it helps to approach this sensitively. You can offer information about local shelters or Lifehouses, day centres, food banks or places with showers or laundry services, Council Housing Options teams, health services or NHS 111 for non-emergency needs, or local outreach teams.

There are Lifehouses around the UK, helping people experiencing homelessness to get back on their feet. Find the nearest Lifehouse to someone at salvationarmy.org.uk/map-page.

4. Support longer term steps

If the person is interested, you can gently encourage them to connect with homelessness charities, seek support with benefits, ID or housing applications, or to explore employment support or specialist services.

Find the nearest Employment Plus service offered by The Salvation Army at salvationarmy.org.uk/map-page.

5. Prioritise safety and boundaries

Never pressure someone to accept help – they are the experts in their own situation. If you feel unsafe at any point, step back and contact professionals.

6. Advocate for change

Homelessness is a systemic issue. The Salvation Army’s Public Affairs Unit works with government and local authorities to advocate for change based on real lived experience.

• Read about our campaign to end homelessness, and find out more about writing to your MP.

Offer prayer

Homelessness can feel like a complex issue to address, but prayer can be a meaningful and transformative way to respond, either as an individual, in gathered worship or in small groups.

If you are praying alongside someone who has experienced homelessness, always ask for consent before praying and respect a person’s choice if they decline. Do not make assumptions about someone’s faith, circumstances, needs or relationship with God. Be non-judgemental and compassionate, recognising that homelessness is often connected to complex experiences such as trauma, poverty, relationship breakdown, ill health and social exclusion. Some people have had negative experiences with institutions, including the Church. Recognise people’s agency and spirituality. Some may welcome you coming alongside them in prayer, while others may prefer to pray themselves or in their own way.

Treat people experiencing homelessness as you would anyone else – with dignity, respect, compassion, humility and recognition of their inherent worth and sacred value.

Pray for systemic change

God of justice, we pray not only for individual lives but also for systems and structures that shape those lives. For housing policies, planning decisions, welfare systems, mental health provision, employment opportunities and support services, bring justice and hope. For national and local leaders, bring wisdom and courage. For housing associations, charities, churches and community organisations, strengthen their work. For those trapped in cycles of poverty, make a way forward. For communities where housing is scarce and insecurity is growing, bring restoration. For a society where everyone has a safe place to call home, hear our prayer. Amen.