Find the right help, anywhere in the UK
HelpRouter UK points you to the right support service, reporting route or volunteering opportunity for your postcode across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is free and you do not need an account.
If someone is in immediate danger
How it works
Tell us your location
Enter your postcode, or let your device find it, so we can work out which nation and council area you are in
Choose a category
Pick the situation that best matches what you need, want to report or want to offer
Get connected
We show the best organisations for your nation, the recommended next steps and any helpline numbers you may need
What HelpRouter UK can point you to
Support in the UK is spread across councils, charities, the NHS and the police, and the right door depends on where you live and what has happened. HelpRouter UK narrows that down to one short list. These are the situations it currently routes.
If you need help
- Homelessness / Sleeping roughFind emergency shelter, outreach support, or housing advice
- Food / EssentialsAccess food banks, essential supplies, and emergency provisions
- Advice (benefits, debt, housing, immigration)Get free, confidential advice on a range of issues
- Mental health supportFind mental health services and support near you
- Domestic abuseInformation and support services for domestic abuse
- Other / Not sureNot sure what you need? We'll help you find the right service
If you want to report a concern
- Person sleeping roughAlert outreach teams about someone sleeping rough
- Adult/child safeguardingReport concerns about a vulnerable adult or child
- Hate crime / antisocial behaviourReport hate crime or antisocial behaviour
- Other / Not sureNot sure where to report? We'll guide you
If you want to help
- Volunteer locallyFind volunteering opportunities in your area
- Skills-based volunteeringUse your professional skills to help charities
- Donate food/itemsFind where to donate food, clothes, and essentials
- Support homelessness charitiesFind and support homelessness charities near you
If someone is in immediate danger
HelpRouter UK is not an emergency service. A red banner with a one-tap call 999 button sits at the top of every step, including the results. Where waiting is risky, the results page puts the crisis line first:
- Mental health: Samaritans on 116 123 (free, 24 hours a day) or text SHOUT to 85258.
- Domestic abuse: the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247 (free, 24 hours a day), with your local council for emergency housing.
- Sleeping rough tonight: Shelter's helpline on 0808 800 4444, alongside local outreach through Street Support Network.
Built around Open Referral UK
Open Referral UK (ORUK) is the open data standard for describing community services, adopted by a growing number of UK councils and voluntary organisations. HelpRouter UK is designed around that standard: where a council publishes its services in ORUK format, the data can be connected and results become specific to a place rather than a nation.
Today the web router signposts to a curated set of national and nation-specific services, chosen so that every route ends at an organisation that can act. Nation detection uses the free postcodes.io service, because homelessness, safeguarding and advice routes differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Organisations HelpRouter UK currently routes to: StreetLink, Street Support Network, Hub of Hope, AdviceLocal, Doit Life, Reach Volunteering, Contact your local council, NI Housing Executive, Find your local council, Police non-emergency (101), Report hate crime, Trussell Trust Food Banks, Independent Food Aid Network, National Domestic Abuse Helpline, Women's Aid, Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland, Samaritans.
Who HelpRouter UK is for
People who need support
Anyone facing homelessness, short of food or essentials, dealing with benefits, debt, housing or immigration problems, or looking for mental health or domestic abuse support.
People worried about someone else
Anyone who has seen someone sleeping rough, is concerned about a vulnerable adult or child, or has witnessed hate crime or antisocial behaviour.
People who want to give time or things
Volunteers looking for local or skills-based roles, and anyone who wants to donate food or items or support a homelessness charity.
Frontline staff, councils and partners
Staff and volunteers who need a quick, consistent way to signpost, and councils or voluntary-sector partners who publish Open Referral UK data. Read more about HelpRouter UK.
Frequently asked questions
- Is HelpRouter UK free to use?
- Yes. There is no account, no sign-up and no payment.
- What happens to my postcode?
- HelpRouter UK has no user accounts or database. Your postcode goes to the free postcodes.io service to work out your nation and council area, and it sits in the page address so you can bookmark or share your results. The optional details box is not stored.
- Which parts of the UK does HelpRouter UK cover?
- England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Routes change where the system differs: rough sleeping is reported through StreetLink in England and Wales, through your local council in Scotland, and through the Northern Ireland Housing Executive.
- Does HelpRouter UK give advice or run services itself?
- No. It is a signposting service that sends you to established organisations such as Citizens Advice, Street Support Network, Hub of Hope and the Trussell Trust. Always check details such as opening hours with them.
- What should I do in an emergency?
- Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger. Samaritans are free on 116 123 at any time, or text SHOUT to 85258. The National Domestic Abuse Helpline is free on 0808 2000 247, 24 hours a day.
- Who runs HelpRouter UK?
- HelpRouter UK is built and run by WAPPDEV UK, a UK software company founded by Khaled Doulami, and is designed around the Open Referral UK data standard.