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Supporting people out of homelessness 365 days a year

The problem: Britain’s housing system is broken – and people are paying the price. 

A chronic shortage of affordable housing. Soaring rents. Stagnant wages. Discrimination. Cuts to essential welfare support. Across the UK, people are being pushed into homelessness by a system that no longer functions.

People are being unfairly shut out of support systems simply because they don’t have savings, ID or a guarantor. They’re forced to navigate long waiting lists, rigid criteria, and landlords who won’t accept them. So even when a home is available, the hurdles are often too high to clear. This isn’t just difficult – it's deeply unjust.

  • Only 2.7% of rental properties in Great Britain are affordable on housing benefits.
  • Over 180,000 social homes in England have been lost in the last decade.

Source: Crisis analysis of data from the Ministry of Housing. 

The solution: Your gift today could support more people to find a home.

Together, we can change lives – and push the system to change too.

You and the Crisis community could help us:

  • Build trusted relationships with landlords and open new routes into the private rental market for people who are too often overlooked.
  • Ensure every home meets regulations for safety, quality, stability, and suitability. When a home falls short, we gather evidence to challenge landlords and push for long-term change.
  • Provide long-term support through one-to-one coaching. Our Lead Workers stay with people as they settle in – helping them set up bills, understand their tenancy rights, access local services, and build confidence for the future.
  • Push for housing reform as part of our wider campaigning to end homelessness.

 

Donate now

Bradley’s story and access to a safe and stable home

Bradley sits in Edinburgh Skylight talking with Michelle.

When Bradley’s relationship broke down, he was left with his partner’s debt, as they shared a house. He wasn’t in a good place mentally and couldn’t stay on top of his payments, so he missed bills and was then evicted. 

Then Bradley came to our Edinburgh Skylight and met lead worker Michelle, who he credits with saving his life. 

Crisis advocated for Bradley and challenged the council on their legal obligation to get Bradley into temporary accommodation. Without that support, Bradley is not sure where he would be now. Eventually, the council placed Bradley into his own council flat. 

Michelle not only supported Bradley into accommodation, but she also helped him reconnect with doctors and talking therapy so he could get support for his mental health. Crisis provided Bradley with a phone and referred him to a vet to organise an appointment for his dog, Bole. 

In an email to Matt Downie, Crisis CEO, Bradley explained the support he received from Michelle and the gratitude he felt for having Crisis on his side. He explained: 

“Michelle has taken my life, and flipped it completely around… I can’t tell you enough how lucky I feel to have been paired with the Edinburgh site. The people there are amazing, and Michelle has, quite literally, saved my life.”

£275 could help someone set up their home on their journey out of homelessness, helping pay for a bed, fridge, cooker or washing machine, as well as dinnerware, cookware and bedding.

£800 could contribute to a deposit for a one bed property to help someone secure a new place to live.

£1,600 could contribute to a deposit and first month's rent for a one bed property to help someone secure a new place to live. 

£2,112 could give someone two weeks of one-to-one support and coaching with one of our lead workers, helping them develop skills to find, secure and maintain a home or job. 

£26 per month could give someone experiencing homelessness the support they need from an advisor who will welcome them at a Crisis Skylight, listen to their story and provide options 

£60 per month could provide 10 people with clothing to stay warm in the colder months or an outfit to wear to an interview, giving them the confidence they need to start their new beginning. 

£100 per month could provide a week of support from our Intensive Case Management Team, who work with people dealing with complex issues such as poor mental health or drug or alcohol dependency. 

£172 per month could provide two people with one-to-one support from one of our lead workers, helping them to develop skills to find, secure and maintain a home or job. 

How your support helps people out of homelessness

When someone comes to Crisis for help out of homelessness, they receive a warm welcome from a member of our Engagement and Assessment team.

We talk through their situation and make sure that anyone who would benefit from services, support and advice elsewhere are signposted and referred. When we are best placed to help, we rapidly allocate a Lead Worker and they become a Crisis member. Bradley, former Crisis member shared:

“I have been dealing with addiction to alcohol, and years of, well, basically not dealing with a lot of things. I was first in contact with Michelle when I was facing eviction, and then we really got into the weeds with everything going on. I would just like to thank Michelle, and the Edinburgh branch.”

The goal of all our work with Crisis members is for them to find a safe, decent, and affordable home. Bradley found a place to call home thanks to the support of his lead worker Michelle, he told us:

“Michelle has taken my life, and flipped it completely around, within a couple of days, with everything else she does, she has got me a flat sorted.”

Crisis members can engage with our learning and skills programmes while working with their Lead Workers. Programmes include vocational training, technical qualifications and equipment to help someone find their way back into employment.

Crisis members can also take part in arts and wellbeing sessions, and practical sessions to help with finding, securing, and maintaining a home.

Bradley's Lead Worker, Michelle, helped him reconnect with doctors and talking therapy so he could get support for his mental health. Crisis provided Bradley with a phone and referred him to a vet to organise an appointment for his dog, Bole. Bradley, former Crisis member explained:

“I have been taken from zero to hero, and it is all thanks to Michelle, she is a wonderful person, and she has given me a miracle! The work she, and Crisis do, is in my opinion, second to none!”

Why donate to Crisis

We are the national charity for people facing homelessness. We know that homelessness is not inevitable. We know that together we can end it.

Your donation helps to fund our year-round work with people experiencing homelessness. We offer individual tailored support to help people access benefits, healthcare services, employment opportunities, and more.

Our main aim is to relieve the huge pressure of homelessness, by helping people find safe and affordable homes.

We campaign on the political changes needed to end homelessness for good and conduct research to understand and highlight the scale, causes and consequences of homelessness.

How we spend your pound

For every £1 we spend on fundraising, we raise £3.14 to fund our charitable services.

Our fundraising promise

We are registered with the Fundraising Regulator and promise to be honest, respectful, and accountable in how we treat you.

Where we give example stories about our members, we promise these are genuine experiences, even if their names or photos are changed to respect their privacy.

Although we cannot guarantee your donation will be spent on specific items or services, we can guarantee your donation will be used wherever it is needed most to help our work all year round with people facing homelessness.

Contact our Supporter Care team

Please contact our supporter helpline if you have any questions about making a donation to Crisis. You can also contact us if you would like to change the way we communicate with you.

supporter.helpline@crisis.org.uk

08000 384838

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