Sleeping rough tonight? StreetLink connects you to outreach; the council owes you a Prevention Duty under the Homelessness Reduction Act 2017.

Tonight — the three numbers that matter

If you are reading this on a phone in the next half hour, do these three things in order before the battery dies. They are free and they work.

• Shelter Emergency Helpline — 0808 800 4444. Open 24/7, 365 days a year. Shelter advisers handle rough sleeping triage every shift — they will talk you through tonight's options, find the nearest open hostel or night shelter, and tell you how to put pressure on the council homelessness team. The line is free from mobiles and landlines, and does not appear on a call log unless you check it yourself.
• StreetLink — streetlink.org.uk. Open the website on your phone (it works on low-spec phones and slow connections). Enter your location — a road name, a landmark, or use the map pin. StreetLink passes your details to the local outreach team for that area; they will then try to find you in person and offer support. You can also be reported by a member of the public who is concerned. The StreetLink app does the same thing if you would rather install it.
• The council's homelessness team — out of hours. Search "[council name] homelessness out of hours" on the gov.uk site or in any search engine. Almost every English council operates a 24/7 emergency homelessness number for people who become homeless overnight, on weekends, or on bank holidays. The council still owes you the same s.184 / s.189A / s.195 duties (next section) — the out-of-hours line is just the way you reach them outside office hours.

If you are under 18, you are not a homelessness case — you are a child in need. Local children's services have a separate duty under the Children Act 1989 s.20 to accommodate any child who appears to require accommodation. Phone the council and ask for the children's services out-of-hours team. Do not let anyone redirect you to an adult hostel.

Council Prevention Duty — HA 1996 s.195 (56 days)

The Homelessness Reduction Act 2017 rewrote the old housing-options landscape. The key change is that the council now owes statutory duties to anyone who is homeless or threatened with homelessness within 56 days — not just people with priority need, and not just people who pass the local-connection test for the area. The following duties apply to your case the moment you apply:

• Section 184 — duty to inquire. Once you make an application (in person, by phone, online, or in writing), the council must investigate your case and issue a written decision. Ask for the decision in writing in every case — verbal turn-aways are a common complaint subject and rarely survive a s.202 review.
• Section 189A — Personalised Housing Plan (PHP). The council must produce a written plan listing the "reasonable steps" both you and the council will take to prevent or relieve your homelessness. The plan must be agreed with you — not handed to you — and reviewed regularly. Ask to see your PHP and check that the council's steps are specific (named hostels, dates, contact persons) and not just "continue to support".
• Section 195 — Prevention Duty. Where you are eligible and threatened with homelessness within 56 days, the council must take reasonable steps to help you keep accommodation or secure new accommodation. This is the headline 56-day duty. It is owed regardless of priority need and regardless of local connection.
• Section 189B — Relief Duty. If you are already homeless (e.g. rough sleeping or sofa surfing on a night-to-night basis with no settled accommodation), the council owes a further 56-day Relief Duty to help you secure accommodation. The Relief Duty starts as soon as the Prevention Duty ends or as soon as you become actually homeless, whichever is sooner.
• Section 188 — interim accommodation. If the council has reason to believe you may be homeless, eligible, AND in priority need, it must provide interim accommodation while it inquires. Priority need includes dependent children, pregnancy, leaving care, fleeing domestic abuse, disability, and certain mental-health vulnerabilities. The threshold is low — "reason to believe" is well below the balance of probabilities.

Do not let the council fob you off with a leaflet, a phone number, or an "ineligibility" comment at the front desk. Insist on a s.184 assessment in writing. If you get a decision you disagree with, you have the right to ask for a formal review under Housing Act 1996 s.202 within 21 days — that is what our Homelessness Decision Review Letter template is for.

Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP)

SWEP is a non-statutory protocol adopted by every English local authority. The trigger is a Met Office cold-weather warning — historically where temperatures are forecast to be 0°C or below for three or more consecutive nights, although many councils now trigger on a single sub-zero night, on wind-chill, or on extreme rainfall. Some councils run SWEP in extreme heat under the same humanitarian principle.

Once SWEP is active in your council's area:

• The council must provide emergency shelter to anyone who would otherwise be rough sleeping in their area — regardless of priority need, regardless of local connection, and irrespective of immigration status. This is wider than the ordinary Housing Act 1996 framework.
• Outreach teams switch to maximum coverage. Local StreetLink referrals get a faster response. Outreach workers physically visit known rough sleeping sites with the offer of indoor accommodation for the duration of the cold snap.
• Day centres extend hours. Crisis Skylight, Salvation Army, and council-commissioned services typically open earlier, close later, and offer overnight provision they do not provide outside SWEP.
• You should ask explicitly for SWEP. When you call the council homelessness number or speak to a hostel worker, ask: "Is SWEP currently active in this council area, and what emergency provision is open?" Councils occasionally fail to publicise SWEP even when it is triggered.

If the council refuses SWEP shelter while a Met Office cold warning is in force, that is a strong basis for a complaint to the council's formal complaints procedure and, after exhaustion, to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) on 0300 061 0614. The LGSCO has upheld multiple SWEP-related complaints and ordered councils to refund costs and pay compensation.

Day centres — Crisis Skylight, St Mungo's, and others

Day centres are the most useful single resource between the rough-sleeping site and a hostel placement. They offer hot meals, showers, laundry, phone-charging, IT access, casework, and — critically — a desk address that some benefits and ID recovery routes will accept. The list below covers the major national services; your nearest one is usually within reach of any UK city.

The right of any person physically present in England to register with an NHS GP is set out in NHS England's primary care guidance — practices cannot lawfully refuse registration on grounds of no fixed address, no proof of ID, or immigration status. If a surgery refuses, Doctors of the World UK (020 7167 5789) will advocate on your behalf and can register you at one of their clinics in the meantime.

SOS hotlines — keep these numbers in your phone

The lines below are free, UK-wide, and staffed by people who take rough-sleeping calls every working day. Save them to your phone before you close this page. Verified 15 May 2026.

Income, benefits, and the Big Issue

Rough sleeping does not disqualify you from benefits, and you do not need a fixed address to make a Universal Credit claim. The routes below are the realistic income channels open to you while you work on a housing plan with the council.

• Universal Credit — no fixed address claim. The DWP accepts UC claims from people with no fixed address. Use a day-centre, hostel, or trusted friend's postal address as the "c/o" for correspondence, and complete the claim online or with help from a Jobcentre Work Coach. Citizens Advice on 0800 144 8848 will walk you through a no-fixed-address claim.
• The Big Issue. The Big Issue is a vendor scheme — you buy magazines wholesale and sell them at the cover price, keeping the margin. Sign up through any Big Issue distribution office (every major UK city). Vendor work satisfies most benefit-conditionality rules and is a useful short-term income channel while you wait on council decisions.
• Local welfare / discretionary fund. Most councils run a small discretionary fund for emergencies (food, travel, white goods, deposits). Ask the homelessness team about the local welfare assistance scheme — it varies by council but is usually accessible by phone or in person.
• Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP). If a council places you in temporary accommodation but your Housing Benefit / UC housing element does not cover the rent, apply for a DHP through the same council. DHPs are short-term, but they bridge gaps.
• NHS access without proof of address. NHS GP registration is your legal right. Hospital A&E treatment is unconditional. Doctors of the World UK (020 7167 5789) will advocate if a surgery refuses, and runs medical clinics in London, Bethnal Green, and elsewhere.

Screenshot this — your wallet card

One-screen summary. Screenshot it now, save it to your phone, and show it to anyone who needs to know what your situation is or what you have the right to ask for.

If you are rough sleeping tonight in the UK:
1. Call Shelter on 0808 800 4444 (24/7, 365 days).
2. Use StreetLink at streetlink.org.uk — they
   connect you to your local outreach team.
3. Call the council homelessness team. They OWE
   you a Prevention Duty under Housing Act 1996
   s.195 — 56 days of help, plus a Personalised
   Housing Plan under s.189A.
4. Crisis Skylight 0300 636 1967 — day centres
   in 11 cities for meals, showers, and casework.
5. Doctors of the World UK — healthcare without
   proof of address or immigration documents.
6. Severe weather? Councils MUST provide shelter
   under SWEP — regardless of priority need.

The council cannot lawfully refuse to take your homelessness application. Verbal turn-aways at the front desk are unlawful; insist on a written s.184 decision. If the decision is wrong, you have 21 days from the date you received it to ask for a formal review under HA 1996 s.202 — that is what our UK Council Homelessness Decision Review Letter ($5) template is for.

Right now — what to do in the next hour

1. Call Shelter on 0808 800 4444. 24/7, 365 days. Tell them where you are and what tonight looks like. They will find the nearest open hostel, night shelter, or SWEP provision and tell you how to access it.
2. Open streetlink.org.uk on your phone. Enter your location. Your details go straight to the local outreach team who will try to find you in person and offer support.
3. Find the council homelessness out-of-hours number. Search "[council name] homelessness out of hours" on gov.uk. Apply for the Prevention Duty under HA 1996 s.195 straight away — do not wait until office hours.
4. If a cold-weather warning is in force, ask explicitly about SWEP. Councils sometimes do not volunteer SWEP information. The protocol overrides priority need and local connection.
5. If you are under 18, ask for children's services. The Children Act 1989 s.20 accommodation duty is different from the adult homelessness route — and stronger. Do not let anyone send you to an adult hostel.
6. If you have a medical issue, call NHS 111 (non-emergency) or 999 (emergency). Ambulance and A&E do not ask about housing status. Doctors of the World UK on 020 7167 5789 will advocate for GP registration if a surgery refuses.
7. If the council gives you a wrong decision (e.g. "you are not in priority need" when you clearly are, or "you have no local connection" on grounds you can rebut), you have 21 days to request a formal review under HA 1996 s.202. The Commoner Law Decision Review Letter ($5) walks through the statutory grounds.

After tonight — the paid product

Shelter, StreetLink, Crisis, and Citizens Advice are always free and should always come first. Once you have a council decision in writing and you believe it is wrong, Commoner Law has one product tailored to the s.202 review window:

• UK Council Homelessness Decision Review Letter ($5) — a formal review request to the council under Housing Act 1996 s.202, citing the statutory grounds for review, identifying the specific defects in the s.184 decision, and demanding the council reconsider within the statutory 8-week window. Includes the procedural steps for asking for interim accommodation pending review under s.188(3).
• Contact Commoner Law — if a hotline number above no longer works, tell us so we can update this page.