You see a prison cell with a bed ?
A calendar pinned to a wall ?
One date is circled in red ?
You might think:
That’s the day someone gets out. The day they go home.
A day of freedom.
But what if that red circle isn’t hope?
What if it’s a countdown to homelessness.
Most people have dates on their calendars that mark milestones –
a birthday, an anniversary, a wedding, a job interview, retirement.
What do you see in this Picture ?
Not a Countdown to
NO Resources
Prisoners can’t go online.
They can’t scroll Rightmove or fill in housing applications.
They cant even claim Universal Credit until the very day they’re released.
They don’t have email, Google, or digital ID access.
They have a phone – costing up to 8p a minute but can only make calls to pre-approved numbers, submitted days in advance.
Release Isn’t
Always Freedom
On release day, they’re handed their possessions in bags they can carry.
They step outside the prison and head straight to the Probation Office to get the final confirmation about their housing situation.
As they exit the Probation Office and stand on the street, time stops.
They have to fix up their life without being given any tools.
Countdown to nothing
For some prisoners, a calander on their wall means they watch as they get nearer to having:
Nowhere to live.
No money.
No job.
No phone.
No plan.
No future
Their countdown is not to something good.
It’s a countdown to nothing.
Freedom ~A Countdown to
Nowhere
As you approach your release date, you start to evaluate what possessions are essential.
Once 'out the gate' the only possessions you own will be those that you can carry.
Some People leaving Prison still do not know
if they have somewhere to sleep that night
Empowering Change for Ex-Offenders
At Rubicon Gate CIC, we aim to provide support to ex-offenders who are leaving prison without a permanent fixed address. This could be due to homlessness or uncertainty about having a stable place to live. We hope to offer a service to relieve some of the stress and hopefully help them to navigate their life on Probation under licence conditions.
We want to help bridge any gaps in Communication and information.
6%
Get
Recalled
13%
Become
Homeless
30%
Long Term
Unemployed
After Release
In July 2025, MOJ statistics confirmed that over 1000 people are
released from prison into homelessness each month.
Which is a 40% rise from last year.
In London, over 1300 per year become homeless,
facing immediate barriers to reintegration —
no address, reduced access to employment, banking,
Driving Licence or GP registration.
62% who are homeless after prison, go on to reoffend.
Reoffending costs £18 billion per year.
What we aim to do
Rubicon Gate doesn’t build houses.
We don’t promise accommodation.
We can’t solve homelessness
But we aim to help people on Licence become visible again.
We offer a virtual address for you to use just like a real home address. Providing you some continuity for all your paperwork.
That virtual address is a bridge between being physically homeless and the need to exist in a digital world that requires a fixed location for everything.
Empowering Change Through Our Services
RUBICON GATE provides a virtual address and mail handling service for anyone who has been referred to us by The Prison or Probation Service.
Enabling the user to
Register for essential services: DWP, Universal Credit, Council Housing Lists
Establish a fixed, stable contact address: Open a bank account, obtain ID, update their driving licence
Receive private and secure mail: GP letters, hospital appointments, legal correspondence
Make forward progress: Apply for jobs or education, send applications and enquiries
…And handle the everyday tasks many take for granted:
Register a TFL Oyster Card for replacements if lost
Register a SIM card to keep their number if a phone is lost or stolen
Sign up for Supermarket Loyalty Cards to save on essential shopping
Receive personal and emotionally valuable communication from family or loved ones
A single address—no matter the circumstance
Whether someone is staying in hostels, shelters, temporary flats, friends’ homes, cars, or even sleeping rough, and regardless of which London Probation Office they report to,
We provide one stable postal address for the entire duration of their licence.
How the service works:
We hand-deliver mail weekly to every Probation Office in London
If a person doesn’t attend probation regularly, their Probation Officer can authorise in-person collections at our office
We send a text notification whenever mail arrives, and the service user chooses a convenient time to collect it
Once at our office:
Service users open their mail in private booths and choose from the following secure handling options
Shred
Photocopy
Scan-to-email
Take it away
They can also store original documents securely with us and use photocopies or digital versions as needed.
Privacy, dignity, and control
At every stage, the service user remains in full control of their communication.
They are the only person who sees their mail.
Service standards
Completely free for the user
GDPR-compliant
Operated by CIPP/E-certified volunteers
Backed by robust privacy safeguarding protocols
Empowering Lives Beyond Bars
Where Stability Starts at the Gate
Rubicon Gate is a lived-experience-led service supporting people leaving prison who face homelessness or housing instability.a
We hope to provide a fixed, secure mailing address that follows individuals
throughout their licence period, helping them stay connected, supported, and seen.
Our work is grounded in understanding, not judgement — because we’ve lived it ourselves.
Everybody walks a different path along their rehabilitation journey and we are dedicated to offer support to everybody currently on Probation or still under Licence conditions.
Rubicon Gate CIC is managed by people who have also walked a path and had a ‘Lived Experience’
We are 100% committed to ensure that every person is treated equally. Regardless of their history, background, or protected characteristics.
Our Story
Founded by Experience
Driven by Change
Rubicon Gate was created by someone who walked the same path. Despite constant attempts during the final 6 months of their sentence, they left prison with nowhere to go and no address to use. Abandonded on Romford Road in Stratford at 3pm on a Friday, surrounded by bags.
The chaos of release without support, housing, or identity inspired a mission: to make sure no one else leaves prison into silence or invisibility. Luckily Friday Releases no longer happen. But Homelessness still doesnt care what day you walk out of the gate.
We are independent and not-for-profit. Created and built by ex-offenders to help others put in the same position — regardless of race, gender, religion, or offending history.
We have no shareholders, and are run by volunteers.
Our Name
RUBICON
Historically this means the point of no return – crossing it meant there was no going back.
GATE
Self explanatory !!
Once you’re through the prison gate and starting your probation journey – never go back.
Rubicon Gate hopes for one thing:
We believe that the gate should be the start of a new path, not a revolving door.
Rubicon Gate CIC
is a 'Not for Profit' Organisation.
Everybody walks a different path along their rehabilitation journey and we are dedicated to offer support to everybody currently on Probation or still under Licence conditions.
Rubicon Gate CIC is managed by people who have also walked a path and had a ‘Lived Experience’.
We are 100% committed to ensure that every person is treated equally. Regardless of their history, background, or protected characteristics.
