LGBTQ+ support in London: community centres, clinics and helplines, with hours as stated

What these organisations are, and what they are not

This page is a signpost, not a service. Nothing listed here replaces 999. Galop's urgent help page says to contact emergency services on 999 if you feel in danger or feel suicidal, and GOV.UK says to call 999 if a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger.

Everything below comes from each organisation's own pages, read on 4 October 2026. A phone number appears only where the organisation's page states its hours, and the hours are given as the page words them. The one exception is the pair of British Transport Police numbers in the reporting section, which are given as TfL's page states them, without hours. They can change without notice, so follow the link before you ring. Where an organisation's page did not state hours, this page gives no number and points you to its website or contact form.

The support is spread across separate charities and services in different parts of London, so the useful question is what you need today: someone to listen, a clinic, a housing adviser, a group, or a way to report something. Several of these are relevant to dating without being dating services. Galop's pages cover domestic abuse and sexual violence, 56 Dean Street and THT Direct cover sexual health, and London Friend's groups and Queer Britain are places to be around other LGBTQ+ people without the pressure of a date.

Helplines, with the hours each one states

Galop describes itself as the LGBT+ anti-abuse charity and says it has worked with LGBT+ victims and survivors of abuse and violence for more than 40 years. Its National Helpline for LGBT+ Victims and Survivors of Abuse and Violence is 0800 999 5428. Its helpline page lists Monday and Tuesday 9:15am to 8pm and Wednesday to Friday 9:15am to 4:30pm, closed at weekends, with a one-hour closure from 1pm every day and an earlier close at 3:30pm on the first Thursday of each month. The page says the helpline is for anyone aged 18 or over who is experiencing or has experienced abuse and violence, and for people supporting them, and that calls are confidential unless the adviser thinks something might seriously endanger you or someone else. Webchat is listed for Wednesday and Thursday 9:15am to 4:15pm, with Monday and Tuesday temporarily closed until further notice. Galop's pages cover domestic abuse, sexual violence, hate crime and so-called conversion therapies.

Terrence Higgins Trust's THT Direct helpline is 0808 802 1221, listed as 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday and free to call from UK landlines and most major mobile networks, with live chat in the same hours. The page lists testing for HIV or other STIs, accessing PrEP or PEP, prosecutions for transmission of HIV and other questions about improving your sexual health, and says advisers give emotional support if you are worried about your sexual health or have concerns about living with HIV.

Stonewall Housing offers free housing-related advice on a helpline it lists as open every weekday from 10:00 to 13:00 on 0800 6 404 404, for LGBTQ+ people who are homeless or living in unsafe homes. It says it is not an emergency accommodation provider.

Samaritans is not LGBTQ+-specific. Its own site says to call 116 123 for free and that it is there 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and Galop's urgent help page also lists it. Where an organisation's own website could not be read, it is left out here rather than listed from someone else's directory.

• Galop National Helplinehelpline

  UK-wide helpline

  0800 999 5428, Monday and Tuesday 9:15am to 8pm and Wednesday to Friday 9:15am to 4:30pm, closed weekends and 1pm to 2pm daily, closing at 3:30pm on the first Thursday of each month; for anyone aged 18 or over.

• THT Directhelpline

  UK-wide

  0808 802 1221, 10am to 6pm Monday to Friday, free from UK landlines and most major mobile networks, with live chat in the same hours.

• Stonewall Housing helplinehelpline

  88 Old Street, EC1

  0800 6 404 404, every weekday 10:00 to 13:00, free housing-related advice for LGBTQ+ people; not an emergency accommodation provider.

• Samaritanshelpline

  UK-wide

  116 123, free to call, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as its own site states.

Sexual health: 56 Dean Street

56 Dean Street describes itself as a sexual health clinic in the heart of Soho, specialising in reducing infections and promoting sexual wellbeing among the LGBTQI+ community. Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust's page calls it a friendly, convenient and free NHS sexual health service run from two locations in Soho: 56 Dean Street (W1D 6AQ) and Dean Street Express at 34 Dean Street (W1D 4PR). The clinic's own site lists opening hours of Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 7pm, Wednesday 12 noon to 7pm, Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday 11am to 4pm, and says it is closed on Sundays and bank holidays. The NHS trust's page says that on bank holidays, for emergencies, you should go to your nearest A&E.

The home page says to come in without an appointment if you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, need emergency contraception or have been sexually assaulted. For sexual assault, the appointment page says you do not need an appointment: come to level 1 reception and ask to speak to a nurse in private. For other services, an online tool asks questions to work out which appointment you need.

The main number is 020 3315 5656. The appointment page lists call-centre hours that are shorter than the clinic's opening hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 8am to 3:30pm, Wednesday midday to 7:30pm, Friday 9am to 4:30pm and Saturday 11am to 3:30pm. It warns that lines are often very busy in the morning. The clinic's contact page also gives chelwest.56.deanstreet@nhs.net for general enquiries.

The NHS page names Leicester Square (a 4-minute walk), Piccadilly Circus (5 minutes) and Tottenham Court Road (6 minutes) as the nearest Tube stations and points to AccessAble guides for step-by-step access information. The clinic lists services including PrEP, PEP, STI testing, HIV care, contraception and trans and non-binary services. On walk-in access for young people the two pages differ: the clinic's appointment page says anyone aged 21 or younger can walk into Level 1, while the NHS trust's page lists walk-in services for those aged 19 or under, so check which applies to you.

• 56 Dean Streetclinic

  Soho, W1 · Nearest: Leicester Square (4-minute walk), Piccadilly Circus or Tottenham Court Road, as stated by the NHS trust

  A free NHS sexual health service open Monday to Saturday (closed Sundays and bank holidays), with walk-in categories listed on its home page and a call centre on 020 3315 5656.

Community spaces, groups and the museum

London Friend calls itself the UK's oldest LGBTQ+ charity, supporting the health and wellbeing of the city's communities since 1972. Its office is at 86 Caledonian Road, N1 9DN (office@londonfriend.org.uk). Its home page also lists a phone number but gives no office hours, so this page gives the email instead; check before turning up.

Its counselling service is for LGBTIQ people and for people questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. It invites clients to make a regular financial contribution in line with their income, to be discussed at assessment, and says there is a waiting list that may mean several weeks before an initial assessment. Contact is by email at counselling@londonfriend.org.uk. Its accessibility statement says there is level access to all areas of the ground floor but no step-free access to the basement, where the counselling rooms are.

London Friend's social groups page lists recurring sessions at 86 Caledonian Road, without dates. They include an LGBT drop-in every Friday from 11am to 1pm with no sign-up, a creative-writing group on the second and fourth Thursday from 7pm to 9pm, a trans and non-binary group on the second and fourth Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm, an over-50s social on the second and fourth Wednesday, and groups for women, men and neurodivergent people. Confirm each session on the site before you go.

Queer Britain is a museum of LGBTQ history and culture at 2 Granary Square, King's Cross (N1C 4BH). Its visit page lists Wednesday to Sunday 12pm to 6pm, closed Monday and Tuesday, with a suggested pay-what-you-can donation on the door that includes free entry for those who need it. It states step-free access, with a ramp to the galleries from outside and a lift to the Studio Space, and gender-neutral toilets on multiple floors.

Pride in London says on its home page that it is returning on 3 July 2027. Between parades it runs the Unity Fund, which its page describes as £100,000 in grants for LGBTQ+ grassroots organisations and community groups working for London's LGBTQ+ communities. The 2026 round received 108 applications and awarded 26 grants of £500 and 19 grants of up to £5,000.

• London Friendcommunity

  86 Caledonian Road, N1

  LGBTQ+ charity offering counselling, social groups and other services, with level access to the ground floor but no step-free access to the basement counselling rooms.

• Queer Britainmuseum

  2 Granary Square, King's Cross, N1C · Nearest: King's Cross (as stated by the museum)

  Open Wednesday to Sunday 12pm to 6pm and closed Monday and Tuesday, with pay-what-you-can entry and step-free access.

• Pride in Londonfestival

  London

  The organiser's home page says Pride in London is returning on 3 July 2027, and it runs a year-round Unity Fund for grassroots LGBTQ+ groups.

Housing, young people, trans support and asylum

The Outside Project describes itself as an LGBTIQ+ centre, crisis shelter, trans winter night shelter, domestic abuse refuge and outreach service in London. Its mission page says the community centre offers housing advice, advocacy, showers, a free shop, a weekly dinner party, homelessness recovery groups and workshops. Its services page says residents are referred through its outreach and centre team, that it does not accept agency referrals, and that only the Trans+ Winter Night Shelter, listed as open between December and April, takes self-referrals. The pages gave no street address, phone number or hours, and its contact page says it cannot give housing advice to people it does not know through its front-line work. Use its contact form, and for urgent housing advice see the Stonewall Housing helpline above.

akt supports LGBTQ+ people aged 16 to 25 who are facing homelessness or a hostile living environment, and its home page offers a self-referral form and live chat. It lists offices in London, Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle. The page lists a phone number but no hours, so use the form or the chat.

Rainbow Migration says it supports LGBTQI+ people going through the UK asylum and immigration system and offers free and confidential specialist legal information and advice. Its home page has separate starting points for claiming asylum because you are LGBTQI+ and for applying to live in the UK with a partner. Its site also says its web content is for general information only and should not be relied on as legal advice.

Gendered Intelligence, a London-based charity, says it serves trans, non-binary and gender-questioning people, their families, and organisations that want to improve trans-inclusive practice. Its home page lists community-building programmes and support for parents, carers and relatives, but no phone number or hours. ELOP, the East London Out Project, says it has supported London's LGBTQ+ communities since 1995, lists counselling, youth support, advice and groups, and said its services continue as normal while a new website is built. Its listed contact is info@elop.org.

• The Outside Projectcommunity

  Services in Westminster, North London and Hackney, per its own pages

  An LGBTIQ+ centre, crisis shelter and outreach service that takes referrals through its outreach and centre team; only the Trans+ Winter Night Shelter takes self-referrals.

• aktcommunity

  London, with offices in Bristol, Manchester and Newcastle

  Supports LGBTQ+ people aged 16 to 25 facing homelessness or a hostile living environment, with a self-referral form and live chat.

• Rainbow Migrationcommunity

  UK-wide

  Free and confidential specialist legal information and advice for LGBTQI+ people in the UK asylum and immigration system.

• Gendered Intelligencecommunity

  London

  A registered charity serving trans, non-binary and gender-questioning people, families and professionals.

• ELOP (East London Out Project)community

  East London

  LGBTQ+ charity serving London since 1995, listing counselling, youth support, advice and groups, with info@elop.org as its listed email.

Reporting hate crime, abuse or harassment

GOV.UK says crimes committed against someone because of their disability, transgender identity, race, religion or belief, or sexual orientation are hate crimes. It says you can report hate crime online through Report It, whose own site says it is owned by the National Police Chiefs' Council. It says to call 999 if a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger, and to call 101 or contact your local police if it is not an emergency. Galop says thousands of LGBT+ people choose to report hate crime every year, and that you can tell the police directly or contact Galop for independent advice and for help passing on information anonymously if you choose.

On the transport network, TfL's Night Tube page says that if you witness an incident you should contact British Transport Police by texting 61016 or calling 0800 40 50 40, and call 999 in an emergency. That page does not state hours for those numbers, and British Transport Police's own site could not be read, so the numbers rest on TfL's page alone. TfL's Report it to stop it page lists behaviours to report, including cyberflashing, upskirting, following or stalking and sexual assault, and links to Galop among its support organisations. Our guide to getting home safely covers this in more detail.

For rape or sexual assault, the NHS page on help after rape or sexual assault says Sexual Assault Referral Centres offer medical, practical and emotional support to anyone who has been raped, sexually assaulted or abused, and that you do not have to report the assault to the police if you do not want to. It lists national helplines, which you can follow from the page.

• Report Itother

  Online

  An online hate crime reporting site owned by the National Police Chiefs' Council, which covers sexual orientation and transgender hate crime.

• NHS: Help after rape and sexual assaultother

  UK-wide

  Explains that Sexual Assault Referral Centres offer medical, practical and emotional support and that you do not have to report to the police.

Closures to know about

Organisations close, and directories do not always keep up. Metro Centre Ltd's website, metrocharity.org.uk, carries a notice that the company ceased trading on 31 March 2026 and is no longer operating, and that it entered liquidation on 13 April 2026. The notice does not describe what the company did. Opening Doors, which described itself as a charity connecting LGBTQ+ people over 50 with activities, events, support and information, says on its site that it closed permanently on 29 February 2024. London Friend's helpline page says its own evening helpline ceased operation as of August 2015.

If a list sends you to any of these, treat the list as out of date and use an organisation's current page. Lists compiled by other organisations can also carry numbers that differ from the organisation's own: London Friend's hate crime page, for example, gives a different Galop number from the one on Galop's own helpline page. That is why this guide gives numbers only from each organisation's own page, and only with the hours that page states.

Choosing between them

A plain way to choose, based on what each page says it offers: for immediate danger, call 999. To talk to an LGBT+ adviser about abuse, violence or hate crime, use Galop in its listed hours. For sexual health, including the walk-in categories 56 Dean Street lists, use the Soho clinic. For sexual health or HIV information by phone, use THT Direct. For housing, look at Stonewall Housing, akt if you are aged 16 to 25, or The Outside Project through its referral route. For company, look at London Friend's groups or Queer Britain. This is signposting, not advice about your situation.

Before you go

• Check each organisation's page on the day. The hours quoted were stated on 4 October 2026, and several services list recurring sessions without dates.
• None of these replaces 999. Call 999 if someone is in immediate danger.
• Phone lines have closures: Galop closes at weekends, from 1pm to 2pm daily and early on the first Thursday of each month, Stonewall Housing's helpline runs 10:00 to 13:00 on weekdays, and THT Direct runs 10am to 6pm on weekdays. Outside those hours, use the email, form or chat routes where a page lists them.
• Check access before you travel. London Friend's counselling rooms are in a basement without step-free access, Queer Britain states step-free access, and 56 Dean Street points to AccessAble guides.
• Some services use a referral route rather than walk-ins. The Outside Project says it does not accept agency referrals and that only its Trans+ Winter Night Shelter takes self-referrals.

Questions people ask

What is the LGBT helpline in London?

Galop's National Helpline for LGBT+ Victims and Survivors of Abuse and Violence is 0800 999 5428, listed Monday and Tuesday 9:15am to 8pm and Wednesday to Friday 9:15am to 4:30pm, closed weekends and 1pm to 2pm daily, and early on the first Thursday of each month. Call 999 in an emergency.

Is there an LGBTQ+ community centre in London?

London Friend's building at 86 Caledonian Road hosts counselling, groups and a Friday drop-in. The Outside Project describes an LGBTIQ+ centre for people facing homelessness, and Queer Britain is a museum at King's Cross. These are run by separate charities, so check each page for hours and how to access.

Can you walk into 56 Dean Street without an appointment?

Its home page says to come in without an appointment if you have been exposed to HIV in the last 72 hours, need emergency contraception or have been sexually assaulted. For other services an online tool works out which appointment you need. It is closed on Sundays and bank holidays.

Where can you report an anti-LGBT+ hate crime in London?

GOV.UK says you can report hate crime online through Report It, call 999 if a crime is in progress or someone is in immediate danger, or call 101 or contact your local police if it is not an emergency. Galop offers independent advice and help reporting anonymously.

Is Metro Charity still open?

The metrocharity.org.uk website carries a notice that Metro Centre Ltd ceased trading on 31 March 2026 and is no longer operating, and that it entered liquidation on 13 April 2026. If a directory still lists it, check an organisation's current page before you rely on the listing.