Charity urging public to bring Christmas to life for homeless people
- 07 Oct
National homelessness charity Crisis is urging people to bring temporary centres to life this Christmas for people who find themselves homeless.
The Crisis Christmas campaign will run between 23-30th of December and is hoping to open centres across London, Newcastle and Edinburgh to help provide homeless people with hot meals, warmth, companionship, healthcare and specialist advice on housing, work and benefits, reports 24dash.
Crisis warn that homelessness has risen by 37% in the last three years and in London alone 6,508 people slept rough in 2013/14.
The centres, which are run by thousands of volunteers from all walks of life, have a huge variety of roles on offer, including:
• General volunteers who chat to guests, serve food, sort bedding and make sure the centres are happy, welcoming places to be.
• Service volunteers, including medical professionals, hairdressers and caterers, who give guests access to services they usually miss out on.
• Logistics volunteers, who drive vehicles, co-ordinate deliveries and provide translation services - all essential to making Crisis at Christmas happen.
• Entertainment volunteers, such as musicians, artists and sports coaches, who use their talent to educate and inspire our guests and create some Christmas cheer in the centres.Jon Sparkes, Crisis' chief executive, said: "Being homeless can be a cold, miserable experience and never more so than at Christmas when most of us are sharing in the warmth of family and friends. By helping make Christmas happen for homeless people, volunteers can not only bring some much-needed cheer to our guests but also set them up with the chance to have a more positive year ahead through the life-changing services at our Crisis Skylight centres."
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