Side by Side

We work Side by Side with people from marginalised and excluded communities for however long it takes, to help them better cope with the multiple and complex issues they face

Side by Side provides advice and advocacy to help people who experience marginalisation and exclusion due to racism and poverty, and who do not access mainstream support and services.

An innovative advice service centred on Gillett Square in Dalston

Side by Side is focused on the community that congregates in Gillett Square in Dalston, Hackney. Our advice workers carry out regular street outreach in the Square, and invest time in building trusting relationships with the vulnerable people we support.

Referrals are generated through outreach in the Square or word-of-mouth only; we do not accept external referrals from professionals or self-referrals from people who are not connected to the Gillett Square community.

How we work with people

These principles are very important to our service users; they’re what makes the service successful in engaging with a community that doesn’t access mainstream services.

  • We do not discuss people’s business with anyone else without their explicit consent (except if someone is in serious danger and we cannot get their consent).

  • We never make referrals to other agencies, nor discuss people with other agencies without their explicit consent. We do tell people about services which may help them and assist people to make contact and self-refer if they wish to do so.

  • We leave it to people to be in touch with us. We won’t contact people unless they ask us to.

  • We work with people for as long as they think it’s useful.

  • “[Side by Side] gave me not just practical help with benefits but gave me hope and helped me to tackle my depression.”

    Side by Side service user

  • “They brought me from the bottom to the top, they made a real impact on how I look at life and I can now sleep at night.”

    Side by Side service user

  • “I am so happy that [they] were there, not just to help me but to help other people, because we never had anyone else or anywhere else to go.”

    Side by Side service user

We help people with:

  • Access to benefits and other financial support they are entitled to

  • Mandatory reconsiderations

  • Challenging decisions they think are unjust

  • Avoiding homelessness and rough sleeping

 

  • Difficulties they are having with tenancies, temporary accommodation and repairs

  • Dealing with debts and bills

  • Self-referring for help and support

  • Making the most of specialist legal advice

Our Partners

Trust for London logo
Hackney Council logo