Advice: How do I get into a hostel?

If you need a place in a hostel or supported accommodation project in London, you now often need to contact an agency rather than the hostel or accommodation project itself. In a growing number of boroughs, one local authority team co-ordinates all referrals into hostels and supported accommodation projects. The aim of many of these teams is to improve access to accommodation/services in the borough and to help people receive better support.

The project's telephone number can be found under the "further information" section of the individual project entries.

These teams will assess your accommodation and support needs and whether they can then refer you to any available local hostel accommodation. The best thing to do if you think you may need hostel or supported accommodation is to contact your nearest local authority or other advice service who can advise you on your options – see Who can help.

Many hostels and housing projects also now require applicants to have a local connection to the borough concerned ie you must currently live, work or study in the borough. Local connection requirements are given in the hostel entries on Homeless London in the Target group and/or Further information fields.

London boroughs which currently operate such referral routes are:

• Brent START Plus
• Camden Hostels Pathway
• Croydon Support Needs Assessment and Placement (SNAP) Service
• Ealing Gateway Services
• Hammersmith & Fulham Placement Assessments Team for Single Homeless (PATHS) Team
• Islington Referrals Co-ordinator Team
• Kensington & Chelsea
• Lambeth Support Needs Assessment and Placement (SNAP) Team
• Lewisham Single Homeless Intervention and Prevention (SHIP) Team
• Southwark Housing Assessment and Support Service (HASS) and Resettlement and Referrals Service (RARS)
• Tower Hamlets Housing Options and Support Team (HOST)
• Westminster Building Based Services (BBS)

Some other boroughs (City of London, Hackney, Haringey and Merton) have allocation panels which are involved in assessment and referrals. And some have specified routes into supported accommodation for ex-offenders or people with mental health problems. Details are shown in individual accommodation entries on Homeless London where relevant. Again, the best thing to do is to approach a local homelessness advice service in your borough for advice.