When you’re facing homelessness, carrying everything you own isn’t just inconvenient – it can be exhausting, painful and unsafe. Without somewhere secure to keep your belongings, it’s difficult to attend appointments, hold down work, stay healthy, or simply exist without fear of losing all your property. 

That’s why Islington Council is proud to fund Street Storage, based in the Cally. The charity offers free, safe and accessible storage for people experiencing homelessness – the only specialist service of its kind in the UK.  

The council’s funding came specifically  from Caledonian Ward Councillors, and from the Borough of Sanctuary grants programme. A panel of refugees and migrants selected the charity because they “saw the need and would have used it themselves”. 

Street Storage is transforming lives in ways that traditional homelessness services in the past have not.

A service created by necessity

Rachel, the Founder of Street Storage, has worked in homelessness services in Islington for close to 15 years. She noticed the same problem arise time and time again: people had nowhere to store things safely. 

“Every job I worked on, someone mentioned storage as an issue,” she explains. “It was holding people back and deepening stigma.” 

“There were ad hoc solutions,” Rachel says, “but nothing formalised. I would only have founded a charity if there was absolute need, and there really was. Most people haven’t considered storage as an issue for those made homeless, but everyone living on the streets understands the need.” 

More than a storage unit

Street Storage’s values – respect, adaptability and giving people a voice – shape every part of the service.

As Marketing Lead Lillian puts it: 

“Our community didn’t want it to just be a storage unit and neither did we. We’ve created a space where there are meaningful interactions every day, where there’s respect. We provide conversation and a cup of tea. We have chill spaces where people can rest and charge their phones and an ‘open door policy’ office.”

Many people who use the service become a deeper part of the community: helping to clean, arranging furniture, giving feedback and joining in daily chats about anything and everything from the serious to the silly

Immediate help

Referrals are simple, with an appointment usually available the same day. 

People without accommodation can be referred in several ways including through support workers,  food banks, the prison service – and they can even refer themselves. On arrival, each item is checked in, photographed and logged. People can store two to three bags, and staff can, in some cases, even provide help with transport when someone moves into new accommodation after storing with the charity. 

One service user shared: 

“Thank you for everything […] it would have been really complicated with my back and health problems to carry all that around every day.” 

Another told the team: 

“Off the back of free storage and other support, I’ve been able to get back into full time work, got a room in South London and got my life back on track.” 

The people who use the service use it for a variety of reasons. Some store clothes for job interviews, such as a chef who stored their whites safe for night shift work, collecting them each evening and dropping them back off the morning after their shift.
One homeless student stored their bags, meaning they could attend lectures without carrying all their property with them, allowing them to make friends. Another stored an urn containing a family member’s ashes – something priceless they feared losing. 

Street Storage also offers one-to-one advocacy, and signposting to specialist services. More so than all the above, their service fosters extremely important, everyday moments of human connection.

“I love being able to directly speak to people and see the impact it’s having,” Lillian says. “Just having a laugh with someone. This openness – it’s phenomenal.” 

How residents can support Street Storage

• Donate essential items via Give Today 

• Fundraise through events or connecting the team with your employer 

• Spread the word about the service 

Visit their website to learn more and get involved.