Volunteer with Crisis this Christmas and be there for someone as they build a life out of homelessness.
Sign-ups for Crisis at Christmas 2025 open in early October.
You can find information about volunteering the rest of the year on our Merseyside Skylight page.
Crisis works at Christmas and all year round in Merseyside to help people experiencing homelessness find their own stable home and access education and training.
Every Christmas, local volunteers come together to provide warmth, companionship and vital services to our members (people experiencing homelessness) at one of the toughest times of the year.
Join our friendly and supportive volunteer community that’s passionate about ending homelessness. With many volunteers returning year after year, the connections you make at Christmas can be long-lasting. And the relationships you build with people experiencing homelessness can be life-changing.
This Christmas we will be running the following services:
Volunteers are essential in helping us deliver these services throughout December.
It’s great that you want to support us this Christmas! There are lots of opportunities to support us through fundraising or campaigning work. To find out more, click on our Other ways to support buttons below or visit the Crisis at Christmas webpage.
Of course, you are welcome to volunteer in a new shift, location or a different role if we have space available.
If you are feeling poorly we urge you to not volunteer until you are feeling better.
As we prioritise the health of our guests, volunteers who display any symptoms will be asked to leave their shift.
Some of our roles require previous experience or qualifications and others do not.
Professional service volunteers, such as those completing health checks or haircuts will require the relevant qualifications and public liability insurance.
In some roles we may be looking for volunteers with experience of supporting people who are homeless or other vulnerable adult groups. Information about each role will be listed on our website and throughout your volunteer application form. Please check this information before applying to ensure you are applying for the most suitable role for you.
The voice and expertise of people with lived experience is vital in ensuring our service is truly meeting the needs of our members. We encourage anyone with lived experience to apply for our volunteer roles.
We also involve members and people with lived experience of homelessness in opportunities across the organisation including our Experts by Experience panel. For more details, please speak to your local Volunteer and Involvement Lead.
We do not ask for references for Christmas volunteers.
At Christmas, due to the volume of volunteers recruited, we are unable to provide detailed references. We will only provide a start and finish date for those who have completed a volunteering shift in the previous two years.
The only exception to this is for the lead/senior volunteers who work closely with Crisis and members of staff beyond the Christmas service delivery period.
At Christmas, due to the volume of volunteers recruited we are unable to cover expenses.
Many of the roles in our services will require a disclosure check, (either basic or enhanced) - you will be able to see this on the role description. If the role does, we use a digital system to manage this and we will request and pay for it (where payment is needed).
If you have a criminal conviction, this does not automatically mean you cannot volunteer for us. However, we may need to ask you more about the conviction to be able to do a risk assessment and decide if you can or cannot volunteer.
After you apply, our Christmas team will review your application and contact you with the outcome.
If approved, you can book shifts. For roles requiring a disclosure check, we’ll guide you through the process.
You must complete a volunteer induction and any essential e-learning before starting. Once all these steps are complete, you can begin volunteering with us!
Training varies for each role, however you must attend a volunteer induction prior to commencing your shifts. You will also be required to complete any essential e-learning relevant to your role.
All events will be based in Liverpool City Centre.
Our volunteering opportunities are advertised on our volunteering webpages.
If you think someone is homeless, and you feel comfortable, please speak to them and offer them support in the first instance to contact the Housing Options Service at your local council. If they still need further support with their homelessness, please ask them to call our Skylight on 0151 218 7000.
If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough, please ring ‘Always Help Available' (Outreach team) on 0300 123 2041.
Please email christmas.merseyside@crisis.org.uk or visit our Amazon Wishlist . You can also send cheques made payable to Crisis Skylight Merseyside and posted to 96 Kent St, Liverpool L1 5BD.
Thank you for your interest in volunteering on Christmas Day. We won’t be offering volunteering opportunities specifically on 25 December, but we would love to have your support throughout the month of December in our other Christmas activities.
