Housing & Homelessness Services

We believe that a safe and stable home is the foundation for building a better life.

There are a range of circumstances which mean people find themselves homeless, including family breakdown, addictions, mental and physical ill health and leaving prison or hospital.

We want homelessness to be a brief transitory period in someone’s life, not a permanent label or a cycle from which people find it hard to escape.

Our homelessness services provide a safe place to stay, help to sort out practical issues and strengths based support.

The ultimate aim is for people to transition out of homelessness and tough times in their lives quickly and positively, with a whole new community based network of support built around them ready for the next bump in the road.

Need help now?

Changing Lives is not an emergency access provider. Referral to our accommodation services is usually made through your local authority housing team.

If you are in urgent need of advice:

Contact the national housing charity Shelter: https://england.shelter.org.uk/get_help

If you need to find your local authority:

Find their details in the Gov.uk council directory

If you have a query about a Changing Lives accommodation project:

Contact our Central Office and we will direct you to the right person.
T: 0191 273 8891 
E: central.office@changing-lives.org.uk

Accommodation provision

Supported accommodation

Specialist accommodation

Our experience is that some people benefit from specialist support and housing, to help them get back on their feet more quickly.

We currently offer specialist accommodation and support for:

Veterans – accommodation dedicated to former service men and women, with specialist support to help them with issues such as PTSD, family reconciliation and addictions
Young people – accommodation for people aged 16-25, with support to build life-skills, access education and find employment
People with experiencing of domestic violence – refuges for people who have left an abusive relationship, and their children
Women in recovery and their children – specialist women and children’s accommodation that provides support for women addressing their addictions whilst aiming to maintain or rebuild contact with their families

Rental properties

Support and outreach

Outreach and drop-in services

Our rough sleeper services help people off the streets and in to accommodation.

We do this through or outreach teams who go into communities to find people sleeping rough and then do intensive work to help with the practical and personal issues that have led to rough sleeping.

In Newcastle we also have a drop-in service where people who are rough sleeping can access food, laundry, showers, and 1:1 support to secure accommodation.

Personal Transitions Service

We work in partnership with the Mayday Trust to deliver the innovative Personal Transitions Service, the first strength based model for people experiencing homelessness and those going through the toughest of life transitions.

It’s about building strengths, aspirations, relationships and purpose rather than focussing on needs and problems.

Our team of Asset Coaches work with people to identify goals, develop personal assets and aspirations, create strong positive networks and handing the power back to the individual, to achieve long-term sustainable and meaningful change.

People in supported accommodation can also access support with practical issues, including:

access to benefits, budgeting skills and debt advice
support to improve physical and mental health
volunteering, employment and training opportunities
signposting and help to access other services, including mental health services, treatment services for addictions and community based activities

How do we measure progess? A unique online measuring tool measures personal asset developments and links them to hard outcomes to provide the robust evidence that we, our commissioners and funders require.

Floating Support

Where we operate

Work with us

We regularly develop new programmes based on the ideas and views of the people we work with, statutory partners and others.

If you’d like to discuss service development opportunities, contact: alex.shirley@changing-lives.org.uk.

Find out more about working with Changing Lives.
Find out more about our services in our Service Directory.