Coronavirus

We’re trying our best to keep all our services safely open during the COVID-19 outbreak. We care about your safety and the safety of our staff, therefore we are prioritising four services: Food bank, Drop-in Lounge, Crisis Support (including benefits and housing advice) and our Counselling service. Other services are still available when capacity allows but full service will resume after the current crisis.

 Crisis support

Most people who use the Life House come to us because of some difficulty or other. If you’d like us to see what we can do to help, come and have a chat with us! We help with specific issues* so we’re not ‘key workers’, freeing us up to find you a formal key worker if you need one. If we can’t help or if you need ongoing, formal or statutory support, we’ll do our best to find somebody who can work with you. Here are some of the things we’ve helped people with recently:

• finding accommodation

• speaking to agencies on a client’s behalf

• putting people in touch with specialists for formal support or advocacy

• helping people to survive, escape or recover from dangerous situations

• applying for benefits

• searching for voluntary work placements

[Eligibility criteria: With the exception of safeguarding-related support, clients must not already have formal support (e.g. from Supporting People etc.) for the issue for which support is requested. It is envisaged that clients will need no more than three appointments.]

The Life House does not currently provide legal, financial or medical advice. We always recommend that those in need of such advice consult with a relevant professional. Where clients do not have access to qualified legal, financial or medical advisers, we may assist them to gain access to qualified advice where possible. If they still cannot gain access to suitable advice, we will assist them only to the extent that the law, our capabilities and our qualifications permit.