As we approach another Christmas and we prepare to open our Christmas centres again, I wanted to write this post to express my gratitude to all supporters who make the work we do at Christmas and year-round possible. Your ongoing support is hugely appreciated by me, by all Crisis’ staff and volunteers, and most of all by the homeless people we work with. Without such dedicated supporters, Crisis events this Christmas just would not be possible.

If you’d like to donate to our Christmas centres and our year-round work. You can do so here.

I’ve been working at Crisis for a long time now. I always say this is the best job I’ve ever had that I didn’t want. Because I really wish Crisis wasn’t needed at Christmas, that people got the help they needed to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place.

For those of you who don’t know, it’s an incredible week, providing our guests with food, safety, healthcare… things most of us take for granted, but that can make such a difference. And while they are here, we introduce guests to our year-round training and education opportunities, give advice on housing, employment and health. We let them know how they can get long-term support to help them leave homelessness behind, for good.

170,000 families and individuals will face homelessness this Christmas

Homelessness is rising, and we know that this Christmas is going to be a real challenge. While rents and living costs are going up, services are being cut – and without government support, a sudden increase in pressure like losing a job or becoming ill can quickly force people into homelessness. More than 170,000 families and individuals in Britain will face this Christmas without a place to call home. Hard to imagine?

Our cause is a tough one. Homelessness is very real, and extremely hard. We all live with it every day, see it on the streets, and we know it’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are so many hidden homeless people too, whose situation isn’t obvious because they’re in hostels, in B&Bs or on friends’ floors, but still have no proper home.

It can be brutal and dangerous. Did you know the average age of death for someone living on the streets is just 44?

At our Christmas centres, homelessness is right there in front of you. You see what those statistics mean, the impact that homelessness has on real human beings. For everyone who comes to us, there’s an opportunity to put themselves back on the map. With continued support from Crisis, they can get help, get their confidence back, get a job and a home – get their lives back together and start again. By coming together at Christmas time, it feels like we’re working together to end homelessness and honestly, it’s fantastic.

Homelessness shouldn’t be apart of our society.

A shocking one in four homeless people spends Christmas alone. Homelessness shouldn’t be part of our society. No one should be forced to live like this. We know that ending homelessness will not be easy. But we believe that together with our incredible supporters, we can and will end it. And until that day, we’ll be here for people who need us, at Christmas and all year-round.  

If you’d like to donate to our Christmas centres and our year-round work. You can do so here.