Crisis Christmas FAQ's
When do the Crisis Christmas centres run?
Crisis Christmas will run nine centres in London from 23-30 December. Six of the centres are Day Centres and the remaining four are open 24 hours, providing sleeping facilities.
What are the shift times?
Day Centres:
Morning shift: 7 am - 3 pm
Afternoon shift: 2 pm - 10 pm
Residential Centres (24 hours)
Morning shift: 7.45 am - 4 pm
Afternoon shift: 3.15 pm - 11 pm
Night shift: 10.15 pm - 8.30 am
Shift times for Service Volunteers, Learning & Skills or Support Services volunteers differ to the times given above. If you are interested in helping out in this area, look at the specific section on the application form for more detailed information or download this document.
What are the minimum requirements?
All volunteers are required to do a minimum of two shifts and that means volunteering on two different days over the week.
Volunteers must be over 18. We do not have a upper age limit. If you are 16 or 17 years old you can volunteer at the centres but only if you are accompanied by a parent or guardian on your shifts, and you need to send in your application together with your parent/guardian’s form.
Where are the centres located?
The centres are always in donated buildings so we do not know until much nearer the time where they will be. The Crisis Christmas team work to get buildings as close to central London as possible (normally within underground zones 1-2). As soon as we know which buildings we will use, we send out information and maps to those who have applied.
What are the differences between all the centres?
A description of the nine centres is found under Centres 2008.
Do you provide transportation or accommodation for volunteers?
Our aim is to give our guests the best Christmas possible and we will be focusing all our resources on doing this. We are therefore unable to provide transportation or accommodation for volunteers.
However we do offer a lift sharing service - you can find out about this in the Volunteers' Secure Area on our website.
Is parking available at the centres?
This depends on the buildings we get. It is likely that they will be located in areas where there is very little space to park. When we get final confirmation on the buildings, we will be able to provide more details on parking with the maps. However, we recommend that volunteers use public transport when possible, bearing in mind that there is no public transport on Christmas Day.
What about the congestion charge?
We are unable to reimburse volunteers for the congestion charge. There is no congestion charge on bank holidays. For the last four years the congestion charge has been waived between Christmas and New Year, but at the time of writing it hasn’t been confirmed that this will happen in 2008.
Do you need any experience to volunteer?
You do not need any experience or qualifications to be a ‘General Volunteer’ at the centres, nor to help with the Support Services. Some volunteer roles within the services and Learning and Skills requires specific experience or qualifications, but by no means all and some training may be available – for example for those interested in working in the kitchens.
What is a general volunteer expected to do?
You can be asked to do all sorts of general tasks around the centre including greeting guests at the gate, distributing clothing and toiletries in the store, giving out teas and coffees and meals, looking after the guests' luggage store where they keep all their possessions, keeping fire watch in the sleeping areas, cleaning duties including toilets and showers etc. But there will be times during your shifts when you are not given a specific task to do and we ask that you have a chat with the guests and make them feel welcome. People who are homeless on the streets or in hostels can have very lonely and isolated lives and this can be made worse during Christmas when they are without their families and a home, so having a friendly chat with them can be one of the most important things you could do.
What happens at these centres?
The centres provide hot meals and a bed - and a variety of services for our guests. There are doctors, dentists, chiropodists, opticians, advice workers, arts and crafts, entertainment, IT and internet services, and the list goes on. The ‘Learning and Skills Zone’ will run taster classes on basic literacy, numeracy, IT etc. The aim is to encourage our guests to come to Skylight, Crisis’ year-round activity centre for homeless people, where a huge range of activities and classes take place.
The services that are provided for homeless people are absolutely vital, but one of the most important aspects about Crisis Christmas is the companionship and compassion given to homeless people who can be very vulnerable and isolated.
What are “Service volunteers”?
Service volunteers help us to provide the full range of services and support at the centres. Our services include healthcare, dental, podiatry, pharmacy, opticians, legal and homelessness advice, counselling, catering, massage, hairdressing, sewing alterations, teaching basic skills, arts and crafts, entertainment, dog handling/kennels, statistics data entry and more. Some of the services require people with specialist skills; others just need your enthusiasm.
If you are interested in helping in any of these areas, please fill out the relevant section of the form under ‘service volunteering’ on the application form. We are always looking for more people to help to deliver these services, particularly in the kitchens, hairdressing and podiatry.
When do you stop recruiting volunteers?
We carry on recruiting volunteers right up to the beginning of the event (23 December). But the earlier you submit your application form, the more likely you are to get the shifts you want.
Do you ever get to a stage when you don’t need any more volunteers?
No. We are always looking for more volunteers. We need to recruit around 6,500 volunteers but we could always do with more help.
Can I volunteer with a friend or relative?
Yes, but when you fill out the form, please put exactly the same shifts and only tick one centre. Do not give us any choice. If you do this, you will be given the same shifts. As we will be processing thousands of forms, it is almost impossible to match one person’s form with another's.
What about public transport on Christmas Day?
No public transport is available on the 25th December. Trains, tube and buses all stop around 10pm on Christmas Eve and restart around 9.00am on the 26th. If you are volunteering between these times please make sure you have other ways of transport. A lift share scheme will be available on the secure site for volunteers and at volunteers areas at each centre.
