Find out why a gift of £29.80 to Crisis at Christmas could make a difference to someone facing homelessness.
£29.80 is our suggested donation amount which could help someone experiencing homelessness over the Christmas period – whether that’s in our day centres, hotels, or in our year-round services. This includes longer term support to help leave homelessness behind for good.
This is based on the number of people we expect to support and includes set up, food, clothing and accommodation, travel and insurance. We review this figure every year.
This year, guests had access to:
When someone walks through our doors at Christmas, it can be the first day when everything changes. The day someone gets out of the cold and feels the weight of pressure lift off their shoulders. The day someone gets help with finding a safe place to stay, employment and training. The day someone starts to end their homelessness.
Con* came to Crisis as a guest during Crisis at Christmas in December 2015 and stayed in one of Crisis’ hotels. Nine years later, Con has been a homeowner for over a year-and-a-half. He has also been a manager of a service, housing homeless people and prison leavers. He tells his story.
"I worked in the automotive industry for 18 years in project management. I had a very good salary – but I struggled with substance abuse. My relationship with my long-term partner broke down and I lost my job. I stayed with a friend but in 2015 I was forced into homelessness.
"I was sleeping rough on the streets in London. The most frightening thing was that I started to get used to being homeless. When I started rough sleeping, I registered as homeless with my council, but I couldn’t prove that I’d been in the borough long enough to get any support because I'd been living with a friend.
"In January 2016, I came to Crisis and I managed to get housed in some supported accommodation. My Crisis housing coach helped me find a room to rent privately. She helped me feel confident about the process. My job coach helped me with CV workshops and motivation workshops. I slowly became more independent, and I needed to check in with my coach less and less.
“When you think how far I’ve come since December 2015 - I’m now a homeowner and have worked as a manager housing homeless people and prison leavers - it’s quite a journey, isn’t it?”
You can check out more real-life stories of members to learn more about the difference your support makes.
*Con's story reflects a real member's experience, but his name and photo were changed to protect his identity.
