Our five London hostels provide temporary shelter and food in a warm, safe environment for people sleeping rough.
Many people living in hostels have drug and alcohol dependencies, behavioural problems or poor mental or physical health, and some have been living a street lifestyle for a long time.
Thames Reach recognises that hostel residents need much more than a bed for the night. Our staff help people to develop life skills, build self-confidence, re-engage with mainstream society and work towards leading a more settled life.
We provide residents with access to drug and alcohol counselling as well as information on mental and physical health issues.
GPs and nurses make regular visits to our hostels, and we also arrange complementary health sessions, such as acupuncture and massage.
Residents can also attend a range of social activities, run both within the hostels and across Thames Reach, such as art groups, computer training, museum visits and bingo nights. This give people something to look forward to and a chance to build new friendships.
Residents are also encouraged to take up training and work opportunities.
Moving on
Thames Reach staff help people in hostels to identify and move into the most appropriate housing, based on their needs and level of independence. This could be a supported housing project, a local authority or housing association flat or private rented accommodation.
We help people to set up home and to develop their living skills. Once settled in, we continue to support people in their new homes.
Although hostels are intended as a temporary solutions, due to the shortage of housing association and local authority flats, many residents can spend up to two years in a hostel, causing dependence and frustration. Thames Reach's No vacancies campaign calls on local authorities to free up more affordable housing.
For more information on specific hostels, see our directory of services.
