The Cardinal Hume Centre, based in Westminster, London, enables people to gain the skills and support they need to overcome poverty and homelessness. The Centre was founded by Cardinal Basil Hume in 1986 as a direct response to the high numbers of homeless young people sleeping on the streets and families living in inadequate bed and breakfast accommodation.

We focus on the individual which encourages us to recognise that each human being is different and has complex needs, so our response needs to be multi-layered.

Therefore we offer six principal service packages:

• residential services for homeless young people;
• family services;
• immigration advice;
• housing, welfare rights and money management advice;
• employment support;
• learning and skills (English, Adult Learning and computer use)

We help homeless young people, families, refugees and asylum seekers, as well as others suffering from social exclusion.

The Centre includes a 32-bed hostel for 16-24 year olds, as well as 5 move-on flats. The day services provide a safe place for people of all ages to get formal and informal advice on a whole range of issues including housing, benefits, and immigration status. We also offer support for people getting back into employment, as well as an education service to support this aim. Our family centre runs parenting and family support sessions, an after school club and a holiday programme. We also offer open access English classes and digital inclusion training. There is also a full GP practice on site, solely for homeless people (i.e. people without a permanent address).