Volunteer call for 40th Crisis at Christmas
3 October 2011
Applications have opened for volunteers to sign up to help over 3,000 homeless people for the 40th Crisis at Christmas which runs from 23-30 December across London this year.
More than 8,000 volunteers are needed to give homeless and vulnerably housed Londoners vital warmth and companionship over the festive period.
The call for volunteers comes at a time of rising homelessness in the capital. 3,975 people slept rough at some point in London during 2010/11, an increase of 8 per cent on the previous year's total of 3,673 and of more than a thousand since 2005/06.
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: "Crisis at Christmas has provided vital services for homeless and vulnerably housed people for 40 years. Whilst we should celebrate the lives helped and changed and the dedication of the thousands of volunteers who made this possible, it is a scandal that homelessness still exists and that we are needed at all. Sadly, homelessness is on the up in London - we need people more than ever to step in to help the most vulnerable in society."
The first Crisis at Christmas took place in 1972 in St Anne's Church, Westminster, involving just a few hundred volunteers and homeless people. In 2011 nine centres will open across the capital catering to an estimated 3,000 homeless people.
Crisis at Christmas offers a range of services to help homeless people begin to rebuild their lives. As well as general volunteers, the charity is calling for professional specialists to offer services from Podiatry and Healthcare to Massage and Entertainments and translation. Services which homeless people struggle to access during the rest of the year.
Crisis asks that all volunteers commit to at least two shifts. To sign up as a volunteer for Crisis at Christmas visit www.crisis.org.uk or call 0300 636 1000.
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Notes to editor
For further media information or to request an interview with a Crisis spokesperson, please contact Garry Lemon, Media Communications Manager at Crisis, on 020 7426 3880 or garry.lemon@crisis.org.uk
Crisis at Christmas
Crisis at Christmas first opened its doors in 1972, when hundreds of homeless guests were fed and accommodated in a small church in central London.
In 2010 some 2,800 guests enjoyed a range of comforts across eight dedicated centres. Everything from podiatry to housing advice, as well as food, entertainment and companionship were offered by some 8,000 volunteers.