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