Who we are
Your Place is a charity dedicated to solving homelessness in east London, one person at a time. We’re here to offer hope, a home and a healing place to grow, where people who’ve lost their homes can get the individual support they need within a safe, caring community.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build hope and enable lasting change to end homelessness for people in east London.
We’re a growing charity, helping people who’ve lost their homes to regain their self-belief and rebuild their lives.
We work closely with each person who comes through our doors, guiding them to meet their own needs through one-to-one and peer-led support. With specialist teams and a compassionate community around them, residents make their own journey to independent living - and to a better place.
Our values
Our values guide our interactions and decision-making processes at all levels within the organisation.
Compassion
We care about people, value their views and experiences and put them at the heart of all we do.
Inclusion
We celebrate diversity, promote inclusivity and respect, and challenge inequality.
Growth
We support people to breakthrough barriers and fulfil their hopes and potential.
Collaboration
We’re stronger and can have a bigger impact when we work in partnerships and build alliances.
Why we’re needed
Everyone needs a safe place to live. But right now, a perfect storm of affordable housing, cost-of-living and mental health crises means thousands of people stand to lose their homes. And a lot more, besides. In London alone, one person becomes homeless every 10 minutes.
We can’t end homelessness for everyone overnight. But we can help to solve it one person at a time.
At Your Place in east London, we provide much more than somewhere to call home. We work with people one-to-one, to support them to regain their self-belief, their confidence, and their place in the community.
Your Place is where people can feel safe, feel their feet on the ground, and find the help to support their journey to independent living — to a better place.
Awards
With several national and regional awards to our name, we’re proud to have been recognised for our efforts in resolving the root causes of homelessness. We’ve also been celebrated for being a good employer.
Employer accreditations and commitments
Our history
Until recently, Your Place was known as Caritas Anchor House. Over the years we’ve evolved from an east London charity with a specific maritime mission into a growing, forward-thinking organisation with an ambitious, far-reaching purpose: to solve homelessness, one person at a time.
Established in 1962 by the Catholic London Inter-Diocesan Council of the Apostleship of the Sea, the charity provided temporary accommodation to out-of-work seafarers coming in and out of the nearby docks.
As London’s industrial landscape changed and the London Docks closed, fewer and fewer seafarers were seeking help. So, in the 1990s we began operating as a dedicated residential and support service for people experiencing homelessness in east London, regardless of their background. Since then, we’ve been helping hundreds of people each year get to a better place.
While we’ve changed and broadened our purpose, we’ll always value our heritage and our connection with the church.
Ag
"I became so unwell, I was no longer able to support myself. I ended up sleeping in Canning Town station… I was dehydrated and worried I’d miss my operation."
At Your Place, NHS support worker Ag found the personalised care she needed to recover in a safe place. Now she’s beginning to rebuild her life helping others.
Dulce
"Gardening brings up the person I was before I became homeless. This place is happiness."
Grandmother Dulce was living on the streets for years before getting the support she needed. Now at Your Place, she takes a leading role in cultivating the community garden.
