Homelessness at Christmas and Where to get help

This Christmas many thousands of people in Great Britain will experience homelessness. Charities across the country like YMCA are here to help, providing support services to help with emergency shelter, hot meals, healthcare and long-term support.

Need help tonight?

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you have nowhere to sleep tonight, contact your local council’s homelessness team (most have an out-of-hours number on their website) or call Shelter’s emergency helpline on 0808 800 4444. In Wales, call Shelter Cymru on 08000 495 495.

To see what support is available near you, use Find a YMCA.

How YMCA can help if you’re homeless at Christmas

At Christmas YMCA provides safe temporary and supported accommodation so people have somewhere warm and safe to sleep during winter.

YMCAs across England and Wales run local Christmas campaigns to provide warm meals and festive activities for people during the Christmas period.

If you or someone you know is facing homelessness or needs support over the holidays, you can look up local housing services or emergency youth schemes like Nightstop, which offers young people aged 16 to 25 a safe place to stay for the night with a trained volunteer host. Some Nightstop services are run by local YMCAs.

YMCA also organise gift and appeal drops for residents and young people, collecting items like winter wear, toiletries, snacks and selection boxes.

How to get help and support if you’re young and homeless with a child

The first thing to know is that help and support are available for you so you’re not on your own. If you’re 16 or 17, you can ask social services for help straight away.

If you’re made homeless and you have a child, contact your local council’s housing or homelessness team and tell them. If you’re pregnant or have children living with you, the council should treat you as a priority for emergency housing.

Councils in England must help if you are legally homeless or will become homeless in the next eight weeks. The support you can access could include general advice, or you may be offered emergency housing and receive help to find longer-term housing.

Find your local YMCA

Every YMCA is run locally, so the support on offer depends on where you live. Use Find a YMCA to search by town or postcode and see what your nearest YMCA offers, such as emergency housing, supported accommodation, counselling or advice.

Many YMCAs arrange housing through an application or a referral, so get in touch as early as you can. Even if your local YMCA doesn’t have a space, its team can point you towards other services that are open over Christmas.

A few regional examples:

YMCA Derbyshire: Hosts festive fundraising events like its annual Christmas Ball and raises money for Christmas meals and support at its Padley @ YMCA Derbyshire day centre.

YMCA Burton: Runs the #YMCAChristmasGiving campaign to fund counselling and support for people in crisis.

Supported Accommodation & Hostels: Facilities like YMCA Wirral in Birkenhead and YMCA Robin Hood Group in Nottinghamshire keep 24-hour hostel operations running straight through the holidays.

These provide festive meals & social events. Hostels host Christmas dinners, movie nights, ukulele or carol performances and quizzes as well as arts and crafts to combat isolation.

All year round YMCA offer wellbeing and support, counselling sessions, training programmes and mental health services to combat social isolation.

Emergency contact numbers

Emergency Services (999): Call 999 immediately if someone is in immediate physical danger, severely ill or injured, or if you believe a rough sleeper is under the age of 18.

Shelter: Call 0808 800 4444 for free, expert housing advice if you’re homeless or about to lose your home (England and Scotland). In Wales, call Shelter Cymru on 08000 495 495. Opening hours change over Christmas, so check the Shelter website before you call.

StreetLink (England and Wales): If you’re worried about someone aged 18 or over who is sleeping rough, send an alert via StreetLink so local outreach teams can connect them with emergency accommodation.

Local Council Housing Options: Contact your local council’s emergency housing duty team (search for your local authority’s out-of-hours homeless team) to request urgent statutory support and temporary accommodation. In very cold weather, councils also open extra emergency beds under the Severe Weather Emergency Protocol (SWEP).

Centrepoint: If you’re aged 16 to 25, call the Centrepoint helpline on 0808 800 0661 for free advice (England, weekdays).

The Samaritans: Call 116 123 for free, confidential, 24/7 emotional support if you are feeling overwhelmed, distressed or in despair. Visit Samaritans for other ways to get in touch.

Citizens Advice: Visit Citizens Advice or use their Find an Adviser tool for urgent signposting to local welfare grants and housing help.