Facing Homelessness

What do I do if I am sleeping rough?

Housing Team

• If you are rough sleeping, you should contact our Housing Team on 01737 276 790 or you can email us at housing.advice@reigate-banstead.gov.uk where we can offer you advice and support.
• A guide to finding accommodation in the borough

East Surrey Outreach Service

• You can contact East Surrey Outreach Services (ESOS) website. ESOS helps people who are currently sleeping on the streets, who are sofa-surfing or who are at risk of losing their home. They can help you find more secure accommodation. You can self-refer by contacting ESOS on 07436 273 614 or at esos@thamesreach.org.uk.

Hostels and Night Shelters

• You can either self-refer or ask the Council (if applicable) to refer you to a hostel or night shelter which offer you short-term accommodation. Your length of stay at the hostel will provide you with enough time to secure yourself a new permanent accommodation and apply for any support or benefits that you may be entitled to.

  Hostels will need to see proof of ID, your National Insurance number and proof of your income so ensure you have these documents with you when approaching a hostel.

  You will have to pay rent when staying a hostel, therefore ensure you have enough income to manage this. The staff at the hostel may be able to help you complete a Housing Benefit application form.

• list of hostels based in Surrey.

Renewed Hope

• Renewed Hope (website) is a Christian charity based in Redhill which provides practical and emotional support to homeless, vulnerable and isolated individuals in East Surrey.

Homeless Link

• You can search for hostels and day centres in your local area and how to be referred via the Homeless Link website.

Crisis

• Crisis (website) is a charity which works directly with homeless people to help them rebuild their lives by offering one-to-one support and advice based on their individual needs.

Samaritans

• Facing homelessness can be a very emotionally distressing time. You can call Samaritans (website) for free at any time on 116 123 where they will listen and offer you support. You can also chat with them online, email them or write them a letter. Please visit their website for further details.

What can I do if I see a rough sleeper in my area?

StreetLink

• You can always report a rough sleeper to StreetLink (website). StreetLink is an organisation which helps members of the public connect rough sleepers to local services that can support them.

Contacting the Housing Team

• You can also contact our Housing Team on 01737 276 790 or email us on housing.advice@reigate-banstead.gov.uk to report a rough sleeper in our borough.
• Please provide us with a description of the person you have seen rough sleeping, the exact location of where you saw them and the day and time. This will enable us to investigate further and offer immediate support.