A calm, free, walk-in space for anyone who needs a moment to breathe.
Life can feel heavy sometimes. Not always in ways that look like a crisis, but in ways that are still difficult to carry alone.
The HRE4U Community Crisis Café exists for those moments.
The HRE4U Community Crisis Café is a free community service supported by the National Lottery Awards for All programme and Sefton Council's Community Transition Fund.
It is a simple, welcoming space where you can walk in, have a drink, and take a pause from whatever you are facing.
You do not need an appointment. You do not need to explain everything. You can stay for a few minutes or a couple of hours. It is entirely up to you.
As well as offering a calm place to sit, listen and take a break, we can often help people access practical support too.
If you need support, you're always welcome to come along to one of our café sessions. If we can help, we will. If we can't, we'll do our very best to connect you with someone who can.
Many of the support services we offer are also available outside of our café sessions. If you need help with housing, SEND support, employment, family legal advice or finding the right support, please get in touch using any of the options on our contact page. We'll always do our very best to help.
We also work with a growing number of independent support providers and organisations. You can view our support providers to see who we work with, the support they offer, when they are next visiting the Café and whether appointments are available.
Our Crisis Café pop ups are now running regularly.
Exact times and any changes will always be shared on our this page and in our newsletter.
We regularly work alongside external organisations and community partners offering practical support, guidance, and appointments during selected sessions.
We also have external workshops and sessions running in the space.
Our café currently runs as a regular pop-up space at St Faith’s Parish Hall in Waterloo.
While we work towards a permanent home, these pop-ups allow us to offer a calm, welcoming place in the community where people can drop in when they need it.
There is no referral process and no booking. If the door is open, you are welcome to come in.
This is not a clinical service and it does not feel like a waiting room.
It feels more like a quiet community café that happens to be safe.
When someone walks in they are usually offered a drink, something simple to eat, and a place to sit.
You do not have to talk.
You can sit quietly, gather your thoughts, or simply take a break from everything outside for a little while.
If you do feel like talking, trained volunteers are there to listen and gently help you think through what might help next.
When you arrive, you'll be invited to help yourself to a warm or cold drink and, if you'd like one, a biscuit or snack.
Once you've got yourself settled, one of our volunteers will come over and say hello.
You can take the conversation at your own pace. Some people arrive ready to talk straight away. Others need a little time first.
If you're not up for talking, just let us know. There is no pressure, no expectation, and no obligation to share anything you don't want to.
Whether you need a quiet space to sit, someone to listen, practical support, or simply a break from everything for a while, you're welcome here.
Each pop-up is slightly different depending on the space and what support is available on the day, but the aim is always the same: a calm place where people feel welcome.
The café is open to anyone aged 18 or over who feels they need a supportive space.
You might be feeling overwhelmed, isolated, stressed, or simply unsure what to do next.
Many people who visit look completely fine on the outside while quietly struggling inside. This space is here for those moments.
What we offer instead is simple human support, calm conversation, and help finding the right next step if someone needs it.
We work hard to keep the café calm, respectful and safe for everyone.
Conversations are treated with care and privacy wherever possible. However, if someone is at serious risk of harm we may need to involve emergency or statutory services to help keep people safe.
If that situation arises, we always try to do this openly and respectfully with the person involved.
You can read more on our safeguarding page.
HRE4U began as an online space offering tools, guidance and support for people who are struggling.
The café is the next step.
A real-world space where someone can walk in, sit down, and not have to carry everything on their own for a while.
If you arrived here because things feel heavy right now, you do not need to read everything on this page.
You are welcome to come along to a café session, sit quietly, and leave whenever you want.
If you would rather look for other support right now, you can find options on our Get Help page.
We'd always encourage you to come along to one of our café sessions if you can, as that's where we're able to offer the widest range of support in person.
If you can't make it to the café, you can still get in touch with us online.
You can ask for help with things such as food bank support, employment support, housing, SEND, family legal advice or finding the right local service.
Some support, including food bank or emergency gas or electricity vouchers, may still need to be arranged through a café session or may depend on availability. Getting in touch online does not guarantee that a voucher can be issued, but we'll always look at what we can do and help you with the next step.
To ask for support online, visit our contact page and let us know what you need help with.
Our community mental health café and pop-up spaces are supported by a small team of volunteers who help make each session feel calm, welcoming and easy to access.
There are different ways to get involved, from helping with the practical side of the café through to more involved support roles for people who complete the relevant training.
You don’t need to be a professional or have previous experience. What matters most is being kind, reliable, respectful and comfortable being part of a welcoming community space.
We explain our current volunteer roles, what they involve and how to get started on our volunteer page.
If you think you might like to join us, have a look and see what feels like the right fit.
Choose an amount that feels right for you.
Your support helps cover everyday things like warm drinks, a safe space, and having someone there to listen.
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These are the distraction and grounding kits we use in our HRE4U spaces.
They’re designed to help people through intense moments by offering safer alternatives, simple grounding tools, and small comforts that can make things feel more manageable.
We’ve collaborated with S&L Self-Harm Distraction Kits to make these available here, keeping everything simple, calm, and true to how we actually use them in our popups and support spaces.
We share these because we genuinely believe in them and use them ourselves. When you click through, you’ll be taken to their website to purchase directly.
Our 40 piece Hre4u S&L Distraction Kit with sterile first aid items are designed for prevention and safety. Primarily focusing on the Delay and Replace Strategy with items for safer alternatives but also specific first aid for cutting style wounds.
£17.99
Buy on harmdistractionkits.co.uk
24 Piece Self-Harm Distraction Kit Box.
£10.99
Buy on harmdistractionkits.co.ukThe HRE4U Community Crisis Café is made possible through the support of our funders, partners, volunteers and local community.
We are proud to be funded by the National Lottery Awards for All programme and the Sefton Council Community Transition Fund, helping us provide free support, community events, practical assistance and crisis café sessions across Sefton.
Their support allows us to keep the café free to attend and continue developing new ways to support people facing difficult times.
The easiest way to stay updated is through our newsletter.
We share café updates, community work, new tools and ways to get involved.
You can join by creating a free account.