What is a day service?
The term Day Services is used here as an umbrella term used to describe non-residential services that provide support to people experiencing homelessness. These services may include day centres, resource centres, hubs, advice centres, and a variety of other models.
Day Service provision ranges from small drop-in services offering essentials such as food, clothing, and basic support, to more structured services delivering specialist advice, casework, training and learning opportunities.
What is the role of a Day Service?
Homeless Link’s established a co-creation group in 2025 made up of over 30 services. The group identified Day Services as places of connection, belonging and progression that support people on their journey out of homelessness.
A core purpose of a Day Service is:
- to provide a safe, welcoming and non-judgmental space where people experiencing homelessness feel a sense of belonging and are heard, valued, and able to engage with support
- help prevent crisis, but often also support people who are already in crisis, working to alleviate immediate needs while helping them move forward
- support progression by helping people resolve housing and other challenges, while building confidence and self-efficacy
- provide welfare and support across issues such as housing, health, meaningful activity and employment, while connecting people to vital services. Acting as a ‘bridge’, they help people access the right agencies, avoid being passed ‘from pillar to post’, and improve communication across sectors through strong external partnerships
- support personal growth by valuing participation and offering leisure and learning activities that build strengths, self-esteem and self-efficacy, empowering people to move beyond homelessness towards positive futures.
Day Service principles
Each Day Service should operate in line with its organisation’s mission and values, using clear guiding principles to ensure consistent and effective support.
Homeless Link’s Principles for Day Services, developed with services across England, people with lived experience, Expert Link, and Housing Justice, provide a framework for effective practice.
Discover more on Day Services
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Resource
Creating trauma-informed Day Services
Guidance for Day Services on the impact of trauma, and how to adapt their approach and promote wellbeing for people accessing their services.
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Resource
Day Service principles
Each Day Service should operate in line with its organisation’s mission and values, using clear guiding principles to ensure consistent and effective support. Homeless Link’s Principles for Day Services, developed with services across England, people with lived experience, Expert Link, and Housing Justice, provide a framework for effective practice.
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Guidance
Being Strengths-based: collected resources
This page holds collected resources to support anyone interested in becoming strengths-based.
Homeless Link research on Day Services
Our latest Annual Review of Support for Single Homeless People highlighted that Day Services are often the first point of support for people experiencing rough sleeping and other forms of homelessness.
In 2024, England had around 173 Day Services, supporting approximately 130,349 people each year.
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173
day services in England
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130,349
people supported by day services in England
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173
day services in England
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130,349
people supported by day services in England
Value of Day Services
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Engagement
Day Services are able to reach and engage with a wide range of people and are often centrally located, visible, well known, typically open access or low threshold, and open at accessible times.
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Community, belonging and progression
Day Services provide a sense of connection for people who often experience isolation and exclusion. By bringing people together, they help build social connections, reduce loneliness, increase self-esteem and confidence, and support progression towards longer-term goals.
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Hub/Partnerships
Day Services play a vital role in bringing together agencies and services to provide a coordinated approach for people experiencing homelessness who may otherwise be excluded from support. They facilitate referrals and signposting, provide space for partner agencies to meet with individuals, bring multiple services together in one location, and create a safe environment that improves access to support and engagement with services.
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Crisis support
Day Services are uniquely positioned to provide crisis support. They help meet immediate needs by providing essential items, facilitating referrals to housing and other key services, delivering timely interventions for people who may struggle to engage with mainstream support, and assisting with emergency accommodation, including access to severe weather emergency provision (SWEP).
Running an effective day service
Managing a Day Service involves overseeing governance, policies, and daily operations while ensuring the organisation remains sustainable and effective. Our leadership support and networking opportunities, governance guidance from the National Charity for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), and peer support through the Association for Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), can help managers develop their skills and strengthen organisational practice.
Partnership working is central to successful Day Services. By working closely with local authorities, housing providers, health services, and other agencies, services can provide coordinated support and improve outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Resources such as our partnership guidance and self-assessment toolkit, along with approaches such as Strengths Meetings and Team Around Me, can support effective multi-agency working.
Sustainable funding and demonstrating impact are ongoing priorities. Our fundraising resources, impact measurement guidance, Frontline Data Essentials training, and GDPR webinars can help services strengthen fundraising, evidence outcomes, and manage data appropriately.
Supporting staff wellbeing is equally important. Working with people facing complex challenges can be demanding, and staff may experience vicarious trauma, moral injury, or burnout. Regular supervision, reflective practice, and debriefing opportunities help create a supportive and resilient workforce.