Homeless Action in Barnet (HAB) offer dedicated support to more than 750 people who are homeless or vulnerably housed every year.

As the cold sets in, many of our neighbours are facing winter with uncertainty, fear, and nowhere safe to call home.

For most of us, winter is an inconvenience. But for people experiencing homelessness or on the brink of losing their home, it can be a harsh, dangerous and isolating season.

Your support can make the difference between someone simply surviving the winter - or feeling human, safe, and cared for.

Will you help us to provide safety, care and support to some of the most vulnerable people in our community?

"HAB kept me alive" - Chris' Story

Chris still remembers vividly - the shock of how cold the ground felt beneath him, the long nights when freezing air cut straight through his clothes, and the long stretches on loneliness.

For a long time sleeping rough was Chris’ reality. But 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗛𝗔𝗕 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿.

Here, Chris found more than a warm bed. He found people who saw him - people who offered kindness, compassion, and the practical support he urgently needed to steady himself and start again.

The winter shelter community became 𝗮 𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁, a place where he could finally breathe.

From the shelter, Chris moved to our Golders Green hostel, where he discovered something he hadn’t felt in a very long time: security. A safe, welcoming, and homely base.

Surrounded by peers who understood his journey, and staff who championed him every step of the way, Chris began to rebuild his confidence.

The people around him became more than support workers and fellow residents - they became like family.

Now, as Chris prepares to move into his own home and take the final steps toward independent living, he reflects on how far he’s come.

His words are simple, but they hold the weight of everything he has survived:

“𝗛𝗔𝗕 𝗸𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲.”

It was your generous support that made this possible.

But there are hundreds of people who come through the HAB Centre each year, and with the temperature dropping fast, they urgently need your support.

How your donations can help

HAB is the only day centre in Barnet dedicated to supporting people experiencing homelessness and vulnerable housing, helping them to turn their lives around.

In winter we open the night shelter. Last year, with your help, we were able to offer 2,156 safe places to sleep over 166 nights, providing protection from the harshest conditions of a winter night on the streets.

This year we're expecting the demand to be even higher.

For those with nowhere else to go, your donation helps keep the Winter Night Shelter open - a lifesaving refuge for people who would otherwise be forced to sleep on the streets of Barnet.

We also help dozens of people to move people into longer-term accommodation every month. But a roof over someone’s head is only the beginning. Your gift can also provide essentials that turn a room into a home: warm bedding, toiletries, clothing, and the small comforts that restore dignity.

It can also cover the everyday costs many of us barely notice - a bus fare to an appointment, the phone credit needed to call a loved one, or the ability to stay connected with vital support services.

Help with a donation today

Tonight someone will sleep rough in Barnet. Your donation can help change that.

£15 could provide a box full of easy to prepare food for someone in temporary accommodation

£20 could provide warm clothes for the winter months

£50 could fund a life-changing support session at the Centre

£100 will help to ensure that we can respond to crises and be there when people need us most .

𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲. 𝗜𝘁 𝗺𝗲𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘁𝗵, 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆, 𝗱𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 - 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗶𝗻.

Whatever amount you can donate, big or small, will help those experiencing homelessness and the vulnerably housed in Barnet.

Your vital support makes a real difference, and if you are unable to give at this time, you can also help by sharing our appeal.

Thank you for helping in any way you can.