Housing & Homelessness Service

For support from Spires, please attend one of our housing & homelessness drop-in sessions, where our team will assist you. You may also request support by completing the form below, allowing us to understand your situation. A member of our team will contact you to provide support and advice.

Our weekly timetable:

Monday: 9am-11:30am | St Nicholas Church, Tooting. Church Lane, SW17 9PP

Tuesday: 9am-11:30am | St Luke’s Church, 13 Norwood High St, SE27 0DT

Wednesday: Closed

Thursday: 9am-11:30am | St Leonard’s Church, 8 Tooting Bec Gardens, SW16 1RB

Friday: 9am-11:30am | St Luke’s Church, 13 Norwood High St, SE27 0DT

“This is to express my appreciation to you all at Spires. I am very happy for your wonderful services and support to the homeless and vulnerable people like me. You care, you listen, you support and show huge concerns to every situation. You provided me accommodation, clothing and food, helping both my physical and emotional health. You are the best!”

About our service

Our housing & homelessness drop-in service is open to anyone who is homeless or in serious risk of becoming homeless. We can offer warm food & drinks and often toiletries & clothing, although showering facilities are no longer offered.

Our dedicated team will provide our professional advice and support for your needs. Services include housing advice, mental health support, benefits advice and substance misuse support.

Our mission is to support those experiencing homelessness to find and secure accommodation and prevent homelessness for those at risk. If you fit this criteria and are local to Spires, please see our weekly schedule and attend one of our drop-in sessions for support.

Every attendee client at Spires will receive a tailored support plan from our team, addressing specific needs & requirements. We are committed to building the confidence and independence for all our service users, so they can reach a level of safety and stability.

Refugee Support Service

Spires runs a weekly drop-in service every Tuesday to support newly granted refugees in Croydon facing homelessness. This service is run in collaboration with Croydon Refugee Day Centre (CRDC). This project was set up in November 2023 in response to the emerging refugee homelessness crisis.

By December 2023, refugees sleeping rough after leaving asylum accommodation, had jumped from 42 in July 2023 to 469. According to CHAIN GLA Bulletin 2023/24, 17% of new rough sleepers had arrived following departure from asylum accommodation.

Every Tuesday 1pm-3pm | West Croydon Baptist Church, Whitehorse Road, CR0 2JH.

If you are a refugee with a connection to Croydon in need of housing support, please request support below or email info@spires.org.uk.

Refugees are at risk of homelessness as they can no longer stay in the Home Office accommodation. Until recently they had up to 28 days to find accommodation, in December 2024, a six-month pilot program extended this to 56 days. The future of the pilot after this date remains uncertain.

Refugees face other challenges such as lack of support network, language barrier, little to no savings, and lack of awareness of their housing rights and entitlements. In collaboration with our partners and Croydon Council, Spires is helping address these challenges through the weekly drop-in.

Preventative Support includes:    

  • Help to refer to Council for housing support

  • Help to apply  for Universal Credit or other benefit entitlements  

  • Help to understand in advance, and to then access housing options (including private landlords, supported or social housing).    

  • Support to access other support as needed.  (e.g. physical and mental health services, help to set up a bank account).   

  • Support to begin work or access valuable volunteering opportunities.  

 Reactive Support includes:    

  • Completing Streetlink referrals and liaising with homeless outreach teams    

  • Providing practical support such as food, sleeping bags and information and advice about other agencies.    

  • Continuing to support with access to housing – referrals and applications to other housing providers, support to access private rental sector.

Croydon Refugee Day Centre said “We were delighted to form a partnership with Spires to support newly recognised refugees who are street homeless or facing imminent street homelessness. This partnership has been of enormous value to our community members during the transition from asylum seeker status to refugee statues, providing them with specialist support at they go through the challenges of adapting to another new system and helping them avoid homelessness”. 

This is what the refugees we have supported have to say about the service:

“I have a lot of health issues and was worried how I’d manage once I had to leave the hotel. Spires helped me to request medical evidence to support my case. Once they received the information, Croydon Council accepted, I was priority need and found me housing. I am very grateful to everyone for their help.”

“Thank you very much for your help. It was a shock to find myself on the street once I got my refugee status, especially as a lone woman. I really appreciate all that you do, it is too much to manage alone”.

We welcome individuals of different ages, nationalities, religions & sexual orientation for whom we will offer our advice and support. They access a range of internal and external support services in a welcoming and inclusive environment where they can feel safe. *

For more information or any questions regarding our Housing & Homelessness Service, please call Spires on 020 8696 0943 or email info@spires.org.uk.