Our Award Winning Services

Providing vital access to - and storage for - people experiencing homelessness

“A big thumbs up for this new, well thought out, safe-to-lay-your-burden-down-a-while initiative helping people in need. An obvious n.f.a missing link now that it’s being fixed.”

— Ex. Street Sleeper

What we do.

We safely store the belongings of people experiencing homelessness in bags and suitcases within secure, staff-only storage units. When people need access to their items, we bring them out to one of our two relaxed, comfortable spaces.

How exactly do we work?

The process:

A person makes a referral on our website or via a phone call.

The person is contacted and a time is arranged for them to bring their belongings to our storage unit.

The person arrives for their appointment. During this process, we need to go through what’s inside the bag, list any valuables, test all electronics and then the agreement form is read over and is signed. This is done in a separate and private room.

Once stored, the person is free to drop in at any point during our opening hours to either relax in the space or access their belongings.

More than Storage.

One-to-one support

We had been supporting Ellie* for a year and a half, starting when we first stored her belongings. At a critical point in securing Legal Aid for her housing case, she was severely unwell due to rough sleeping in poor weather and requested help so she wouldn't have to face the process alone. We were able to sit with her, supporting her as she filled out her passport application (which we arranged to be delivered to our address) and accompanied her to the bank to obtain the necessary statements for her legal case.

*Not her real name.

Signposting

After Tamara (Our Referrals and Storage Coordinator) supported someone in a critical situation, we asked her to share some reflections about the moments where we provide support. To protect the privacy and dignity of the person most recently involved, we've blended several true stories we’ve heard into a blog post.

4 Minute Read here

Emergency Fund

When you lose your home it's easy to lose a sense of who you are. At Street Storage, our mission is to make sure that doesn't happen. We've seen first hand how belongings can hold a part of a person's identity, like the electric guitar of one of the people who uses our service. It was a priceless possession to them, but it was unplayable—with broken strings and no lead or picks.

We believe that keeping these precious belongings is a vital part of finding your way back. So, we made sure to replace the broken equipment for the guitar and they were able to start playing their music again. They’ve recently been performing in local venues with their guitar and have earned enough money to stay in hostels while they work on their future.

Reconnecting

Storage can lead to reconnection in a number of ways. One example is reconnecting people with their family. Minar’s* daughter was bullied at school because he used to turn up to school events (sports days, parents evening) with all his bags - it was clear her Dad was on the streets. This placed a huge strain on their relationship. Once storing for him though, Minar was able to attend a school play free of judgement and the bullying of his daughter decreased over time - their relationship improving as a result.

*Not his real name.

Between October and December 2025, 4,841 people slept rough in London (increase of 5% from 2024). Where do they keep their possessions?
What about evictions or losing your home? You have documents, photographs, clothes: things that make a life. How can you start to rebuild having lost everything?
What if you are a refugee, or fleeing domestic abuse, or going into prison, what happens to your belongings then?
Paid storage in London is a luxury: the average cost of a small 10ft unit amounts to around £2,700 a year.
We allow people to store their precious items for free, alongside advocacy support to help them move on from experiencing homelessness

Why are we needed?

Our Journey

2018

In November 2018, Rachel founded Street Storage after seeing a clear need for people experiencing homelessness to have a safe space to store their belongings.
We started in Islington - at a unit in Canonbury then in Seven Sisters.
Capacity: 20 people.
2019

We met this need.
By July 2019 Street Storage, saw a desperate need to increase capacity so the moved to St Giles-in-the-Fields in Tottenham Court Road.
Capacity: 80 people
2021

In 2021, with new employees and demand rising, Street Storage began to operate out of Haggerston Community Centre in Hackney as well as continuing to run our well established unit at St Giles.
Capacity: 260 people
2023 - Present day

We are now an established charity in the homelessness sector, with a staff team of six, storing for more and more people each year.
We consolidated and moved to our current home in Kings Cross in April 2024.
Capacity: 350 people