How we’ve helped: StandOut💌

For people leaving prison, the first night after release can be challenging. With nowhere to sleep, crucial appointments to attend, and a maze of services to navigate, the risk of relapse, reoffending, or homelessness is high. StandOut steps in at this critical moment, providing short-term accommodation, coaching, and practical support upon prison release to help people regain control, realise their potential, and rebuild their lives.

In May 2025, we awarded StandOut a project grant to fund their short-term accommodation programme. The funding has been used to support those released from London prisons through short-term accommodation grants, covering up to 3 nights in a hotel or hostel. The grant enabled the organisation to provide 13 nights of accommodation to 8 participants.

A bridge to stability

Short-term accommodation grants provide an immediate, safe place to sleep and meet participants’ urgent needs. On release day, people face multiple critical tasks, including attending probation appointments, registering with a GP, opening bank account, and – for some – applying for homelessness support. Late prison releases often make it impossible to complete these tasks in one day. Without access to short-term accommodation, many would spend their first nights homeless, increasing the risk of stress, disengagement, and reoffending.

Having secure accommodation allows beneficiaries to safely store their belongings, complete housing forms, and focus on building long-term stability. StandOut coaches also provide release packs, hot meals, and essentials tools like basic mobile phones and travel cards, helping people take the first steps towards a better future.

Impact on wellbeing

The short-term accommodation grants mark the start of participants’ journeys towards stability. Meeting immediate needs for safety, rest, and basic resources give them space to plan next steps, such as securing long-term housing. Once stability is in place, StandOut coaches offer personalised one-to-one support, helping participants explore employment, education, training, and wider community networks.

Real stories of change

The organisation shared a real story of one of their beneficiaries:

“T. completed the StandOut course in 2024 and was first released from prison in December that year. He was recalled in January 2025 and released again in July. On his second release, T. requested a gate meet – where our coaches meet participants at the prison gate, provide a release pack, and accompany them to their first probation and other key appointments.

Coaches supported T. in getting to his accommodation. Unfortunately, his room was broken into shortly after arrival, and some of his belonging were stolen. The individual responsible continued to frequent the building, leaving T. feeling unsafe. Although he was reluctant to leave, feeling he shouldn’t be the one displaced and anxious about moving again, it became clear that he would need to relocate to a new area within days. Throughout this period, T. continued working with coaches to complete his housing register and vulnerability assessments.

After traveling a significant distance, when T. arrived at the new accommodation, he was told he couldn’t be let in until 11am the following day, leaving him without a place to stay that night. At this point, StandOut was able to step in and provide short-term accommodation. T. later shared that it was the best night’s sleep he’d had in a long time.

T. had struggled with drug addiction for many years but had been drug-free since October 2024. Returning the the community brought new challenges, with frequent exposure to drug users and sellers. In fact, while waiting outside his new accommodation, he was approached by people offering drugs. He said that if he had been homeless that night, he wasn’t sure he would have been able to continue managing his addiction.

T. has since moved into privately rented accommodation. He’s a passionate artist, and we have been able to connect him with Koestler Arts – an organisation that works with people who have4 experienced the criminal justice system, inspiring them to engage with the arts. Koestler provided T. with materials to support his creative work, and we are currently working to get him onto their mentorship programme, which would enable T. to develop his art in the community by pairing him with specially trained mentors.”

One of the StandOut coaches shared:

“I supported a participant who had just been released and was in a frantic state. He has severe ADHD and was carrying a large number of personal belongings, which added to his stress. That morning, he went to the council to register as homeless and was given a form to complete, but he simply couldn’t manage it. He was too anxious about the safety of his belongings and couldn’t focus long enough to fill it in.

We were able to offer him accommodation, and that space made all the difference. It gave him the calm and security he needed to concentrate and complete the necessary paperwork because he knew his things were safe and there wasn’t the commotion of the street. The very next day, he returned to the council and successfully submitted his forms.”

We’re extremely proud to support StandOut and the vital role they play in helping vulnerable people rebuild their lives and achieve long-term stability.

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