Extending our support beyond London
28 April 2025
See how our teams in East Surrey and Hastings are helping people find a route away from street homelessness
Thames Reach has been supporting people experiencing street homelessness in London for decades, but our work doesn’t stop at the capital’s edge. While outreach in London focuses on responding quickly to referrals to find people who are sleeping rough and helping them move off the streets, our work outside the city looks quite different – shaped by rural landscapes, smaller caseloads, and a deeper connection to local communities.
Our East Surrey Outreach Service, led by Krystian Turek, has been supporting people across a vast and often rural area for several years. More recently, we’ve expanded this work to include a new outreach service in Hastings. If you’d like to help us reach more people, please consider supporting us today.
Krystian, Lead Manager for East Surrey, explains what makes this service unique:
“We don’t just do outreach. We’re quite embedded in the community here – perhaps more so than is sometimes possible in London, where there are more people and more services. The caseloads may be smaller, but the area is vast. It takes longer to get to people, but we often have more time to build personal relationships and offer intensive support.”
The service
The East Surrey Outreach Service covers a large and varied region – from Epsom and Reigate to Dorking and beyond. Outreach workers use referrals from StreetLink, intelligence from local partners, and knowledge of known sites to locate and support people who are sleeping rough or facing homelessness.
“We have to manage resources carefully. Travel is a big challenge, and we need to strike a balance between face-to-face contact and remote support, especially when getting from one part of the region to another can take time,” says Krystian.
Despite the logistical challenges, the team is able to offer tailored support to individuals in a wide range of circumstances – including those who might not meet the traditional definition of rough sleeping.
“Because our caseload isn’t overwhelmed by high numbers, we can spend more time with people in hidden homelessness – people living in cars, in wooded areas, or couch surfing. We’re able to pick up on more complex or subtle needs and adapt our approach accordingly.”
The team also works closely with local authorities and partners to provide tenancy sustainment and prevention support. This includes helping people at risk of homelessness before they reach crisis point, and working with people in temporary accommodation who need extra help.
“We’re filling a gap here,” says Krystian. “People who are disconnected – not only those sleeping rough, but others in unstable housing situations – can fall through the cracks. Our presence helps bring them into view.”
Community impact
The outreach team in East Surrey is making a significant impact – not only by helping individuals move away from rough sleeping, but by strengthening local partnerships and shaping responses to homelessness in the area.
Stories like the one Krystian shares – of a man who had been sleeping rough for 30 years and only recently accepted support – highlight just how vital this patient, consistent outreach can be:
“It took two years of gradual support, building trust, and gently offering options. He didn’t have high support needs, but he’d been completely off the radar. That’s the kind of impact we can have.”
With the recent launch of our new Accommodate and Connect service we’re extending this person-centred approach to other parts of the South East – Hastings, Rother, Wealden, Eastbourne and Lewes – working to ensure that no one is left without support.
By donating to Thames Reach, you can help us extend our outreach services even further, ensuring more people receive the help they need to move away from homelessness.