What is housing insecurity and homelessness?
Housing insecurity refers to uncertainty or instability in one’s living situation. This can include difficulty affording rent, frequent moves, unsafe or overcrowded housing, or the risk of losing accommodation. For students, housing insecurity can cause stress, anxiety, poor concentration, and difficulty keeping up with coursework.
Homelessness is when someone has no stable place to live, which may include rough sleeping (living or sleeping in public or outdoor spaces), staying in temporary shelters, or “couch surfing”.
Signs of housing insecurity in students can include falling asleep in class, missing classes, reluctance to discuss living situations, or sudden drops in academic performance.
Housing and Accommodation Resources
Guarantor Scheme
In the UK, many private landlords will require students to have a guarantor when renting a property. A guarantor is someone who agrees to pay your rent if you are unable to do so. For numerous students, a parent or guardian residing in the UK will act as their guarantor, but for a significant number of UAL students, this can be a challenge, as they may not have family or guardians living in the UK.
To support students, UAL has partnered with Housing Hand, a guarantor service that provides a solution for students without a UK-based guarantor. This service is available to UK, EU, and international students at a discounted rate.
To learn more or apply, visit Housing Hand UAL.
UAL Emergency Accommodation
Our goal is to ensure that no student ever has to experience rough sleeping. If you are in urgent need of emergency accommodation, please contact Mark Crawley, the Dean of Students, at m.crawley@arts.ac.uk. for immediate support and guidance. The University can help connect you with safe temporary housing options and other relevant services.
Additionally, please review the detailed eligibility criteria for UAL’s University Hardship Fund to see if you may qualify for financial assistance that could help with housing-related costs.
Housing Assistance Hotlines
If you’re struggling to find safe housing, worried about losing your accommodation, or know someone who might be sleeping rough, there are people and services ready to help. These free helplines offer advice, emergency support, and connections to local housing services across London.
-
Shelter Helpline - Get free, confidential advice on housing and homelessness. Available Monday to Friday, 8 am to 6 pm. Call 0808 800 4444.
-
Crisis Skylight London - Offers housing, employment, and wellbeing support for anyone experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Email london@crisis.org.uk for support.
-
St Mungo's - Provides support and outreach for people who are homeless or sleeping rough.
-
Single Homeless Project (SHP) - Helps single adults in London with housing advice, support services, and referrals.
StreetLink Referrals
If you or someone you know is sleeping rough, you can make a referral through StreetLink, which is the national rough sleeper referral service. When a referral is made, StreetLink will be able to connect people sleeping rough with local outreach teams, councils, and homelessness organisations by sharing information about the individual and their location. This helps ensure that support reaches those in need as quickly as possible.
StreetLink’s volunteers and staff will respond as soon as they can, but please don’t wait to seek other help in the meantime. You can also contact your local council or visit a day centre for immediate support.