Crisis

"I would like people to know that it will get better.” After Zahra's marriage broke down, she was placed into a hotel with her children as part of the local authority's homelessness procedure. The hotel was infested with bedbugs and cockroaches. With the help of Crisis, Zahra and her family were able to leave homelessness behind for good. Zahra shares her story. "I was told going into the hotel is what happens when you go through the homeless procedure. On the first day, we noticed a cockroach and they moved us. Then a couple of days later we noticed another one. I started to realise it's not just one room, it’s the whole hotel. "One of the rooms we went into had bedbugs. I had an allergic reaction and my whole body broke out in massive red blotches. "My daughter got bit on her face and that really upset me because she had to go to school. She had other bites on her and I just felt terrible. "They started to affect me how I never thought a bug would. I started to itch. My eyes started playing tricks on me. It made me feel dirty. And it really affected my daughter too. Its not nice to live in that environment. "We didn't get the support we needed from the council or the hotel manager. After six months at the hotel, I contacted Crisis. I felt a little bit lost and extremely frustrated at these constant reoccurring problems. "Sophie my lead worker and she was lovely. She sent quite a few emails to the temporary housing officer, and she basically worked like an advocate. And I felt I had a support network. “I’ve just moved into rented accommodation so my main focus right now is just getting myself a little bit organised. It's a very nice home. I've been unpacking, organising the children’s room. I’m also doing a lot of cleaning! “The support that Crisis offers is very good. I love the fact that it’s holistic so it’s not just saying, “We’re going to help you with your housing,” they also support you with education, wellbeing and your health."

Andrew is this week's supporter star after hosting a comedy gig to raise money in memory of his friend, Andy Smart⭐ This week, we say thank you to one of our wonderful fundraisers, Andrew Wilson. Andrew has raised £1,000 in memory of his friend Andy Smart, a comedian and long-term supporter of Crisis who sadly passed away last year. In June, Andrew celebrated Andy’s life by hosting a comedy tribute show at London’s Duchess Theatre, bringing together comedians and improv artists for an evening of laughter and remembrance. This is a fitting tribute to Andy who, during his almost twenty years as a Christmas volunteer, brought empathy, care and infectious humour to guests and volunteers alike. By organising the evening, Andrew honoured Andy’s values and continued his incredible support and commitment to Crisis over the years, building a lasting impact in his name. We asked Andrew about his experience of fundraising in memory of Andy, and he told us: “Andy is the reason I began volunteering for Crisis. He never persuaded me but spoke so passionately and enthusiastically about the work Crisis did at Christmas that I was compelled to volunteer myself. "Andy spent time on the streets as a young man and never forgot the small acts of kindness that others showed him during that period. It was his generosity of spirit that made him such a popular volunteer with guests. "I would like to thank his fellow Comedy Store Players and friends on the comedy circuit who gave their time and talent to celebrate his life and raise money for his favourite charity.” Please join us in saying a huge thank you to Andrew and everyone who took part in the show by leaving a message in the comments below.👇 Photo credit: Steve Best

Over half a million renting households have been homeless in recent years. The new govt. can now build on the announcements in the #KingsSpeech and see that these figures come down, quickly. It can start that by creating a Unit for Ending Homelessness. https://lnkd.in/eswm7s4Z

Thanks to the work of Venture Studio from Crisis, it didn't take long for us to grasp the important role new technologies play in the generation of social housing. We partner with companies that can streamline planning permission, produce safe, affordable eco-friendly homes, convert exisiting buildings into homes and provide ethical financing. So we're delighted that Francesca, our Director of Policy and Social Change, has been invited to speak aobut our experiences at PropTech Connect at the O2 in September.

Passionate about Ending Homelessness? Ever considered becoming a trustee for Crisis? We're looking for two new trustees to add their skills and perspectives to our board & guide our mission to #EndHomelessness. More information & details of how to apply: https://lnkd.in/eK7dPUV9

Almost a quarter of Crisis staff have experienced homelessness &, together with Experts by Experience panels, they advise on our work & proposed projects. Any Government plan to tackle homelessness needs the input of people who are/have been homeless if it's going to be truly effective.

Now that the Government has the keys to their new home and is settling in, here’s what they can do to get us on track to ending homelessness. We've put together some moving-in essentials for their first 100 days: 1. Install a Unit for Ending Homelessness To get all different government departments working together to end homelessness 2. Unpack the essentials for ending homelessness with homes The govt can lay out a clear plan for boosting social housing, introduce renting reform laws and give councils the funding they need to support people who are homeless. 3. Bin the Vagrancy Act The new government can end the criminalisation of homelessness by immediately scrapping the Vagrancy Act. After 200 years on the statute books, it’s time to finally get rid of this outdated law. These steps will set us on the path to ending homelessness for good. https://bit.ly/3Lilaql

As we all get ready for a sporty weekend, here's some Feelgood Friday news: We're always in awe of how quickly young people grasp the inherent injustice of homelessness and want to do something about it. Two amazing young people Zedekiah and Isaiah, recently took part in Fulham FC Foundation's Social Action Challenge. To complete the challenge, they wanted to make an impact in their local community by donating essential items to local people experiencing homelessness. After researching suitable charities, they purchased useful clothing as t-shirts and hoodies. Last month they delivered the items to our Skylight centre in Croydon where Leigh was on hand to show them around the centre and explain more about our work. It's reassuring to know that the future lies in the hands of compassionate people like Zedekiah and Isaiah. A huge thanks to them both as well as to Fulham FC Foundation for making this happen. Now let's make sure that homelessness is not something they have to solve when they grow up! https://lnkd.in/e7CPBAy4

We are hiring! Join our Birmingham Skylight as a Housing Procurement Officer. You will deliver an outstanding property procurement service across the private and social rented sector. Working alongside our team of Lead Worker Coaches you will identify appropriate matches of tenants and homes and ensure tenants receive the support they need to sustain their homes and landlord relationships are nurtured. ✨ Salary: £33,940 per annum ✨ Contract: Permanent ✨ Hours: Full time (35 per week) To find out more and apply, please visit our website: https://lnkd.in/giViepsa #endinghomelessness #wearehiring #birminghamjobs

Today marks the first year of #Homewards, Prince Willam's five-year programme to demonstrate how communities can work together to end homelessness. Working in six flagship locations, Homewards has been forming local coalitions to tackle homelessness in each area. Ultimately, the aim is to produce tested models for tackling many aspects of homelessness which can be rolled out on a much wider scale. This includes helping to change public attitudes about homelessness - it's not inevitable and it shouldn't be normalised. Crisis is one of the Homewards partners and today our CEO Matt Downie is joining Prince William as he visits the Homewards program in Lambeth. Matt explained: “More and more people are being forced into homelessness – whether sofa surfing, squeezing into temporary accommodation or sleeping on the streets. Yet it is not inevitable. With the right approach and ambition, we can end it. “Homewards has already established strong foundations, forming wide-ranging local groups of organisations and individuals and focusing minds on measures to prevent people from becoming homeless. Crucially, Homewards has sought to put people with lived experience at the heart of its work. “We remain excited to be a part of this programme and look forward to working with partners and communities over the coming years to help end homelessness for good.” https://lnkd.in/e4sJdDws