Home Housing Housing Options Service Homeless situations Homelessness and mental health
Moving out of your temporary accommodation over Christmas?

You will be charged the full rent until the keys for your accommodation are returned. If you live in a property where the repairs are managed by an agent, please contact the agent directly to hand in your keys and to obtain a receipt. Please do not leave keys in the property.

For all other properties, the housing options service at the Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel road, London E1 1BJ, will re-open on Thursday 2 of January 2025. You need to return your keys to the office before midday to avoid charges.

Please remember to notify your housing officer, housing benefit and Council Tax.

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Homelessness and mental health

Mental health issues are very common, affecting about 1 in every 4 people in Britain in any given year. Mental health problems can range from very common disorders such as depression and anxiety, to severe problems such as psychosis. 

Generally, if you are concerned about your mental health you should see your GP for advice and treatment.  

If you need support around benefits, housing, domestic violence, substance misuse, physical and mental health  you may be able to get help from Tower Hamlets Community Intervention Service.   

If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis, you can call the mental health crisis line on 020 7771 5807. This is available 24 hours a day and callers will be given support and advice from mental health professionals. For further information please visit the East London NHS Foundation website.  

Detailed information on accommodation to meet mental health needs can be found on the Shelter website. 

Help from the council to prevent or relieve homelessness 

If you are homeless or due to be homeless in the next 56 days, the Council may have a legal duty to prevent or relieve your  homelessness. The Housing Options Service will ensure early identification of housing problems takes place to hopefully prevent you from becoming homeless. This will be achieved through partnership work and multi-agency working to prevent you from becoming homeless, through the necessary support intervention you may require.  

Find out more about your rights. 

Use our Housing Options Finder tool to see what other options may be available to you - the sooner you know about your options, the sooner you can take the right action for you.  

Homelessness - hospital discharge 

If you are being discharged from hospital and are facing homelessness, you should let the hospital nurse staff know as soon as possible. The hospital nurse staff will ask the discharge team to help if they can. All hospitals are required under homelessness law to notify the Council of anyone who is homeless or at risk of homelessness upon discharge from hospital.  

Whether you are being discharged from hospital due to physical health, mental health or any other reason, if an assessment of your circumstances and needs is needed, this assessment may take place in the hospital or over the phone prior to discharge. 

If you already have a home but it needs to be adapted, the hospital team may refer you to the council's home improvement agency, which is responsible for adaptations or disabled facilities grants. Alternatively, you can refer yourself by calling 02073645055. An occupational therapist may come to inspect your property to assess what adaptations are needed to help you live independently. Find out more about the home improvements agency. 

Find out more about aids and adaptations to live in your home.

Other support 

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) offers a wide range of specialist treatment packages to children, young people and their families. Contact: 020 7515 6633 (Poplar) or 020 7426 2375 (Whitechapel) or online. 

Tower Hamlets Early Detection Service (THEDS) is a small team comprised of mental health nurses, psychologists and psychiatrists who aim is to support young people aged 16-25 who have experienced symptoms of mental illness to help getting their lives back on track. Contact: 020 3487 1320. 

Tower Hamlets Talking Therapies provides a range of psychological therapies and counselling services. The service is provided by East London NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham. Contact: 020 8475 8080 

Mind in Tower Hamlets and Newham is a community mental health charity that provides advice and support to anyone with a mental health or emotional issue. They also provide free counselling for Tower Hamlets residents. 

Contact: 020 7510 4247/4248 or email info@mithn.org.uk. 

Inspire Mental Health Consortium delivers new mental health, recovery and wellbeing services, to improve the outcomes and life chances for people living with mental health problems in Tower Hamlets. 

Contact: 0330 053 8122 or email enquiry@inspire-wellbeing.org.uk. 

For Public Bodies – Duty to Refer  

The Homelessness Reduction Act provides an opportunity to work more closely with partners in notifying us of people who are at homeless or at risk of homelessness.  The Duty to refer came in to force on 1st October 2018. The agencies that have this statutory duty include emergency departments, urgent treatment centres, hospitals in their in-patient care function. Find out more about the Duty to Refer.