If you are rough sleeping in York, please refer to our Rough sleeper information leaflet or contact the Early Intervention and Prevention Team at the Salvation Army who provide advice for single homeless people and couples aged 18 and over.
For further information, download the Salvation Army homeless advice leaflet.
They also run a weekday 'drop-in' between 10.00am and midday at 63 Lawrence Street, York, YO10 3BU - telephone: 07586 570432. They offer advice and will refer you to a hostel or supported accommodation via the Single Access Point (SAP), or help you access private rented housing.
Carecent runs a breakfast club for rough sleepers from Monday to Saturday, from 8.30am to 10.45am. They provide food, clothing and friendship in a warm and friendly environment.
No Second Night Out
York operates an emergency bed system for rough sleepers to help prevent new rough sleepers spending a second night on the streets. Rough sleepers are then given one offer of accommodation to resolve their homelessness based on their situation.
For more information No Second Night Out (NSNO) contact:
- The Salvation Army on telephone: 01904 405330
- The StreetLink national rough sleeper reporting line on telephone: 0300 5000 914
Organisations which have signed up to the NSNO principal include:
- Salvation Army
- Changing Lives
- Safe and Sound Homes (SASH)
- City of York Council
Download our No Second Night Out (NSNO) Protocol for more information.
Concern about rough sleepers
If you're concerned about the welfare of a rough sleeper:
- contact the Salvation Army on telephone: 01904 416562
- tell us about a rough sleeper via the StreetLink website
Volunteering to help rough sleepers
If you're interested in helping rough sleepers, there are several established charities and voluntary groups in the city that you could consider volunteering with.
Homeless charities which offer volunteering opportunities include:
Contact these homeless charities directly to offer your help. Alternatively, contact York Community Voluntary Service or visit the TORCH York Facebook page.
Note: York Arc Light is now part of Changing Lives.
Private landlords who wish to help rough sleepers access accommodation can contact our letting agency YorHome, or phone the Salvation Army on telephone: 01904 405330.
Giving to rough sleepers
We encourage you to donate money to homeless charities instead of giving to individual beggars, as this can prolong their situation and discourage them from seeking the right help and support.
A cashless scheme to support rough sleepers, administered by Two Ridings Community Foundation, lets you donate by text to a fund shared among Changing Lives, The Salvation Army and Carecent.
If you wish to donate, text 'YORK35 £' to 70070, indicating how much you wish to give after the £, for example, '£3'.
We are also working in partnership with North Yorkshire Police who are aiming to raise awareness of this issue with the message #NoNeedtoBegYork.
Contact the Emergency Duty Team
Our Emergency Duty Team are the contact point for all homelessness enquiries outside of normal office hours including:
- Monday to Thursday, 5.00pm to 8.30am
- weekends (from 5.00pm on Friday until 8.30am on Monday)
- bank holidays (24 hours)
Contact the Emergency Duty Team on telephone: 0300 131 2131 or email: edt@northyorks.gov.uk.