Your Place (Caritas Anchor House)

Your Place is a charity based in east London that is dedicated to ending homelessness one person at a time. We offer a safe and caring community for people who have lost their homes, where they can find hope, a home, and a healing place to grow. Our mission is to enable lasting change and build hope for people who have been affected by homelessness.

At Your Place, we offer one-to-one and peer-led support to guide individuals towards meeting their own needs. With the help of specialist teams and our compassionate community, residents can make their own journey towards independent living and a better place. Our values of compassion, inclusion, growth, and collaboration guide all interactions and decision-making processes within our organisation.

With the current housing crisis and mental health issues, thousands of people stand to lose their homes, and at Your Place, we recognise the need to help solve homelessness one person at a time. Our aim is to provide much more than a roof over someone’s head; we strive to help people regain their self-belief and confidence and find their place in the community.

We are proud to have received several national and regional awards for our efforts in resolving the root causes of homelessness, as well as being recognised as a good employer.

Your Place was established in 1962 as London Inter-Diocesan Council of the Apostleship of the Sea (known as Anchor House), a temporary accommodation provider for out-of-work seafarers. As London’s industrial landscape changed and the docks closed, we evolved into a dedicated residential and support service for people experiencing homelessness.

Our charity may have changed name and broadened its purpose, but we truly value our heritage and connection with the church. We believe that every individual deserves dignity, compassion and a safe place to live, and we are committed to making that a reality for everyone.

If you would like to learn more about our work, please feel free to explore our website, where you can find information about how we help people, our impact, our people and trustees, and more. You can also sign up to receive updates by email about news and ways to support people experiencing homelessness. Otherwise please do get in touch. If you’d like to support us, email [email protected] or for general enquiries contact [email protected]. We look forward to hearing from you.

Are you interested in making a difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness?

Volunteering with Your Place can be a great way to contribute your time and skills to help. Whether you can commit months, days, or just a few hours, it all counts and makes a positive impact.

There are many ways to get involved as a volunteer at Your Place. You can work directly with residents and frontline teams, helping with reading or writing or developing CVs, delivering wellbeing sessions, supporting events, or helping with donation collections for our food bank. You can also volunteer as a community ambassador, sharing information about the charity’s work at local events or in your community. There are so many ways you can help us, and we’re always open to ideas and suggestions about what you can offer.

Volunteering not only helps people who need it, but it can also be a unique and rewarding experience for you as well. Your Place has received positive feedback from volunteers who have expressed how much they gained from their volunteering experiences, including skills that helped them secure paid employment.

In addition to volunteering, there are other ways you can help support Your Place, such as fundraising, joining an event, or making a donation. Sign up to keep updated by email with news and ways you can support people experiencing homelessness.

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with Your Place to enquire about volunteering opportunities or other ways you can help make a difference in your community. https://your-place.org.uk/volunteer/

Oliver, our Education, Training and Employment (ETE) Volunteer, tells us about his experience:

“As a Volunteer at Your Place, I had the pleasure of assisting one of the residents, David, with his job search. We collaborated on updating his CV, and after some persistence and hard work, we were able to secure a job offer for him as a forklift operator in east London.

Throughout our sessions, I had the opportunity to learn more about David’s strengths, areas for improvement, and his employment journey in recent years. He was always eager and engaged, making my role in his success all the more fulfilling.

I owe much of my success to Zara (Job Coach at Your Place), who supported me passionately throughout my sessions with David. Her invaluable advice and guidance made the process seamless, and I am eager to continue working alongside her to support new clients.

I am excited to hear about David’s progress and to continue helping others in their employment journeys at Your Place.”

The difference made to the lives of those who come through our doors is our purpose and motivation for working, volunteering with or supporting Your Place. And here is some of what our residents had to say about their experiences with us:

“Your Place is more than just a roof over my head; it’s a community that has given me hope, support, and a chance to start a new chapter in my life.” – Halima

“For the first time, my dreams seem to be achievable. I feel empowered, independent and successful. ” – Danley

“It’s been a long time since I had a place that I can actually call home.” – Maria