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Helping the homeless and vulnerable find their Next Meal Helping the homeless and vulnerable find their Next Meal or Search by postcode, town or street The latest from the Next Meal community The latest from the Next Meal community

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Showers and Laundry (Monday-Wednesday 11am-1pm)

Union Chapel - 19b Compton Terrace, London N1 2UN

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Margins

The Margins Project, based at Union Chapel, is a frontline charity offering a range of services supporting people facing homelessness and other critical living crisis. These services, run in three interconnected programmes, are designed to improve the immediate, interim, and long-term living conditions of our guests (service users)
Donate here

Drop-in Service, twice a week (Monday and Wednesdays) - This service is often the first contact with the homeless and the marginalised. It offers nutritious hot meal for 60-80 people in a warm and welcoming atmosphere, and provides limited access to showers, laundry, clothing, emergency food parcels as well as to access to hardship fund.

Housing, Benefits and Engagement Advice Service - aims to improve the living condition of people by providing housing and benefits advice as well as onward referrals to health and other pertinent services, such debt management advice, immigration advice and domestic violence support. Engagement activities help people gain important life and basic skills to breaks the circuit of unemployability and homelessness by providing personalised mix of administrative expertise as well as opportunity of sharing experience with peers.

Supported Employment Programme - As well as boosting the life skills, reducing isolation and recidivism, this programme offers a paid catering training that improves the chances of employability among 15 people who have had experience of homelessness, drug misuse and/or criminal records. Establishing 'job readiness' is the first stage of SEP trainees, and they have full access to drop-in and advice services.

These services are open during the days and hours below:

DROP-IN Services
Open Mondays and Wednesdays, 11am to 1pm, providing:-

Indoors hot meals served on table

Indoors tea and coffee served on table

Limited access to shower facilities, with priority to rough sleepers

Limited access to laundry, with priority for those who have just used Margins' shower facilities

Advice and Engagement Services:-
Available Monday to Thursday, 10am to 4pm

During drop-ing days, face to face advice is avaulable on first come first served basis or by pre-booked appointments

On other days (Tuesday, Thursdays, and Fridays), please book an appointment

Advice and engagement service is also available by telephone and/or by email with/from Nick Reed Monday to Friday

For advice, please book your appointment with the Advice and Engagement Workers, Nick Reed, who can be contacted on:

Supported Employment Programme:-

Our 'Supported Employment Programme' open Monday to Friday and is an opportunity for people who have had experience of homelessness and crisis to get back into work. With paid positions in our catering service, we focus on improving well-being, building self-esteem and developing employability skills. Trainees gain a Level 2 Food Safety Award, and we tailor the programme to each individual's specific needs. We seek to find the trainees further paid work and training at the end of their placement.

If you wish to register your interest in joining the programme by emailing at

Watch a film about everything that goes on at Margins, and get a sense of our community, here

For more information about all other Margins' services, please contact us on:

Sign Up for Margins Updates Here

Coming to Margins has been vital to me. The staff and the system set up are really good.

The food is outstanding. Everyone has been so friendly and welcoming.

The atmosphere is also very good.

WHERE TO FIND US

The Margins Project entrance is at the back of Union Chapel, on Compton Avenue, marked in the map below;

Many agencies are working together across Islington to make sure people who are street homeless have somewhere to stay. For more information, please contact Councils Housing Advice Line below.
Rough Sleeping?
If you are rough sleeping, please self-refer to Streetlink , so that an outreach team can visit you at your sleep site;

Phone: 0300 500 0914

Website: www.streetlink.org.uk
Not rough sleeping but your housing is at immediate risk?
Please contact Islington Councils Housing Advice Line:

Phone: 020 7527 6371 (Housing Advice Line)

Office hours: Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm

If out of hours and a housing emergency - call 0207 527 2000 for out of hours service
In need of financial support for essentials?
You can self-refer to the Resident Support Scheme for food vouchers - gas and electricity top up.
If you need practical support/or regular phone contact?
You can call the We are Islington helpline:

Phone: 020 7527 8222
Lines open every day from 9am to 5pm
The Council has set up 'we are Islington helpline' working with the voluntary sector and mutual aid groups to provide support, including: getting food or medicine, online group activities, legal advice or a friendly phone conversation.
If you need advice on benefits?
IMAX Islington's Income Maximisation Team

Offering a phone advice and casework service and are asking advice line callers to leave their name and contact details so that they can return calls.

Phone: 020 75278600
Need a food bank or other community food services?
Visit Islington Food Partnership's food services page here for venue information and other food services available throughout the week.

Margins is part of the CARIS Islington circuit, and it had run overnight shelter, a nutritious meal and a hot breakfast for up to 15 guests, who would otherwise be sleeping rough on the streets, for many years every Wednesday from January to March. However, the CARIS Islington circuit is unable to commit the resources required to invest in and run the shelter in a safe way that meets post-COVID best practice

We (Margins) are referral partners to some shelters that will operate. We can also signpost where needed. Please call or email us for more information on this.

Here some links to shelters that are operating this winter:

Our therapy sessions are under review currently

Support Our Work

Book Our Catering

We also provide high quality inhouse and external catering from our Margins catering team to hires of Union Chapel spaces.

Lunch is available from only £6 per head and all income generated goes back into our charitable work.

Please get in touch via for more information on taliored information on services and rates.

Eat at Margins Café

Many people know us best through the café we run in the bar at Union Chapel gigs and events.

When events are running normally, this café is the hub for our charitable work and our Supported Employment Programme, where up to 12 formerly marginalised trainees learn the skills involved in preparing delicious food and front of house service every year.

All profits from the café support our work.

Margins Café also provides catering for rehearsals and workshops at Union Chapel.

Contact [email protected]

Keep up to date with what we're up to

Thanks

Our work is only possible because of the commitment of our volunteers and the generous support of a range of funders & partners. A huge thanks to them.
Safeguarding Statement
Safeguarding is everyone's responsibility - The Margins Project is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare and wellbeing of children and adults at risk. It expects all trustees, staff and volunteers to share this commitment.
The Margins Project Annual Review 2019-2020
The Margins Project is Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO)
Charity Number: 1153070

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Union Chapel is a church, live entertainment venue and charity drop-in centre for the homeless in Islington, London, England. Built in the late 19th century in the Gothic revival style, the church is Grade I-listed. It is at the top end of Upper Street, near Highbury Fields.

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Showers are available Monday to Friday from 7am until 10am, (not including Bank Holidays) with a change of clothing available.

212 Whitechapel Road
London E1 1BJ

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Whitechapel Mission - homeless shelter in London, offering free food, showers, clothing and advice

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The Whitechapel Mission has been serving the homeless and marginalised for 144 years - including a day centre, skills training and career advice, activity programmes and specialist support for complex needs.

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food support by weekdays (leaflet) 09.02.23 (1)

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Toiletries, clothes and hot food (Sunday - times tbc)

St Pancras Church Hall - 1 Lancing St, London NW1 1NA

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Hands On Hand Out - Helping London’s Homeless

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Helping London’s Homeless - Providing London’s homeless with food, drink, clothing and toiletries.But most importantly human interaction letting them know they are not alone.