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Crisis Skylight Edinburgh

Crisis Skylight Edinburgh supports people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness. Find the right help for you on this page, or contact us to discuss your options.

General information

Our location

Address:

Cranston House
271 Canongate
Edinburgh
EH8 8BQ

Visiting us (please read before travelling)

Areas covered: Edinburgh Centre

Contact us

Phone number: 0131 209 7700

Email address: edinburgh@crisis.org.uk

Opening hours:
Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:30 am – 3:30 pm; Tuesday: 12:30 pm – 3:30 pm

Skylight director: Mark Kennedy

This information was last updated on 08/04/24

How Crisis support people facing homelessness in Edinburgh

We work with people in Edinburgh to help them rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind for good. We do much of this work through our Skylights – these are centres which exist to support people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.

Skylights can help in:

  • Finding a home and settling in
  • Finding work and applying for jobs
  • Looking after your health and wellbeing

How we can help depends on your situation and needs. If another service can provide the support you need, we will refer you to them.

 

So that we can best help you, tell us: what is your situation today?

If you are currently homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless, the first thing you should do is contact your local council as they have a duty to help you. 
 
To learn what Crisis can do for you in Edinburgh, select the “I would like support from Crisis in Edinburgh” option from this list. 
 
If you are rough sleeping now, visit the Streetwork website or call them on 0808 178 2323Streetwork exists to help end rough sleeping by connecting people sleeping rough with the local services that can support them. 
 
If you need general or specific housing and homelessness related advice, the charity Shelter Scotland may also be able to help you. Shelter Scotland has a wealth of resources available online and you can also search for your nearest legal advice centre. If you are homeless, have nowhere to sleep tonight or are at risk of harm or abuse in your home, you can call Shelter’s emergency helpline: 0808 800 4444. 
 
Learn more about how other organisations might be able to help you. 

Streetwork exists to help end rough sleeping by enabling members of the public to connect people sleeping rough with the local services that can support them. Visit the Streetwork website to help someone you believe is sleeping rough.
 
If you are a professional (working in, for example, the local authority, police or probation services, resettlement services, etc.) looking to refer someone to access support from Crisis, please contact us so we can make an assessment: 
 
Phone: 0131 209 7700 (lines are open Monday-Friday, between 9am-4pm)  
Email: edinburgh@crisis.org.uk 

Crisis does not offer emergency services.

If you feel you need urgent mental health support, the NHS can help you - find your local NHS helpline.

If you are in immediate danger, call 999 now and ask for an ambulance or the police.

Crisis Skylight Edinburgh works with people over the age of 16 who are experiencing homelessness, or immediately at risk of homelessness in Edinburgh and surrounding areas. .

Our Engagement and Assessment team will assess your initial support needs. We'll provide you with information, advice and guidance and create a plan with you around how we can support you to sustainably end your homelessness.

We can support you to access our Learning and Skills support

We also provide a Coaching service to offer longer term support to people to work towards achieving their goals and to address any areas that may be contributing to their homelessness.

Our work is supported by clinical psychologists, housing law specialists as well as Volunteering and Events teams.

If this is of interest to you, you can self-refer to Crisis Skylight Edinburgh by calling us on 0131 209 7700 (Lines are open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm; Tuesday: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm) or by emailing us at edinburgh@crisis.org.uk and we’ll take it from there. 

You can also drop into Crisis Skylight Edinburgh between our opening hours of Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm; Tuesday: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm. Select the “I would like information about visiting or contacting Crisis Skylight Edinburgh” option for detailed directions.)

For urgent out-of-hours support, contact City of Edinburgh Council on 0800 032 5968 or Streetwork on 0808 178 2323. Crisis is not an emergency service so if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 now and ask for the police or an ambulance

Before you visit, we would recommend that you find out what Crisis can offer you in Edinburgh. You can then contact us by phone or email so that we can discuss the best options for your situation:

Phone: 0131 209 7700 (lines open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm; Tuesday: 12:30 pm - 4:00 pm)

Email: edinburgh@crisis.org.uk

For urgent out-of-hours support, contact City of Edinburgh Council on 0800 032 5968 or Streetwork on 0808 178 2323. Crisis is not an emergency service so if you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 now and ask for the police or an ambulance.

Our address is: Cranston House, 271 Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8 8BQ

View on map

Google Map 

Our doors are open for drop-ins on:

Monday: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Tuesday: 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm 

Wednesday: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Thursday: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

Friday: 9:30 am - 3:30 pm

 

Public transport:

Bus: The nearest public transport is Bus 35 on the Royal Mile.


ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Wheelchair access is available.

If we haven’t covered your situation yet, it might be addressed on our Get Help page. There you can find information on finding a hostel, getting legal advice, locating free food stations and much more. If that still hasn’t helped, you can contact Crisis Skylight Edinburgh by calling 0131 209 7700 or emailing edinburgh@crisis.org.uk and we’ll do our best to help.

“My life had stalled. I didn’t realise how much I was grieving. Crisis helped me with paperwork and helped me to get out of [my] situation. They provided a deposit for my new home, and it just took a weight off my shoulders. Chantal, former member who was supported by Crisis, Edinburgh
 
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