Welcome to Chorley Help The Homeless

We are a small independent local charity working hard to support those at risk of or affected by being homeless in the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire.

Chorley Help The Homeless is registered with the Charity Commission for England & Wales, Registration Number: 1152392.
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You can find us at:
The Gateway
at Matrix House, Friday St,
Chorley, PR6 0AA

Opening Times:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 10am - 2pm

Telephone: 01257 220077

We are a Community Cafe, Food Bank, Advice & Support Service

Emergency bags of food and toiletries  ●  Free breakfast and lunch  ●  Household items 
Advice service for housing and benefits

Services are available to those with an address in the Borough of Chorley or homeless in Chorley.
We can take self-referrals.

Please note that we aren't able to offer a delivery service.

Our Mission Statement

To help people in the community of Chorley who are homeless or threatened with homelessness and to seek to prevent homelessness.

To act as an advocate on their behalf to ensure they get the support they need; to be a catalyst for change to improve their lives for the better.
 
As an organisation, Chorley Help the Homeless aims to uphold the following values: to be credible, collaborative, accessible and responsive to those who seek our help.

As individuals we personally will uphold the following values: to be respectful, inclusive, dedicated, fair and humane to those who need our help.

A brief history of Chorley Help the Homeless:

Chorley Help The Homeless was founded in 1995 and registered as a charity in 1997, formed by a group of people from various local churches who set up a drop-in space at the Tatton Community Centre on Steely Lane. The charity began to develop with the help of a qualified tenant support worker alongside the volunteers. Chorley Council then helped the charity by providing its first office at Clifford St. There followed a long period of success working with national charities like Shelter and Crisis and the operation of a rent bond scheme.
 
From the late 1990s until 2021 the charity worked from the office on Clifford St, which in 2019 was named 'Dorothy House' in honour of one of the founding members Dorothy Griffiths. The practical help from Dorothy House focussed on the provision of food, clothing and household items, and advice focussed on getting support for those made homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. CHTH also worked with a family mediation service and trained volunteer counselors.

In 2021 with the impact of the global pandemic, Chorley Help the Homeless recognised the need for a larger provision for those in financial hardship, and moved to a larger venue on Friday St. Naming this building 'The Gateway' - as a community gateway to services that help anyone struggling with poverty, homelessness or social exclusion - CHTH now had a drop-in centre with space to prepare and serve breakfast and lunchtime meals, and to host other community groups and sessions.
 
Our work is as important today as it was 30 years ago, and we are very proud to have served many thousands of individuals and families in Chorley who have been helped by our fantastic teams of volunteers, along with a very small but highly committed staffing base and those who have given their time as Trustees.