Crisis at Christmas is one of the largest volunteer-run events in Europe. Over several weeks this Christmas, more than 2,000 people experiencing homelessness across Great Britain will step through the doors of one of the venues run by Crisis. These could be in schools, churches or hotels, where hot food and festive activities are waiting, along with thousands of volunteers.
These helpers don’t just dish up Christmas lunches, they also assist guests in receiving healthcare (whether it’s eye tests by qualified opticians or dental checkups by qualified dentists), provide support and advice (on housing, employment and safe places to stay), and help with skills workshops. Haircuts and massages are also on offer.
Some people who are homeless will also be offered accommodation – a bed for the night in a hotel, where they can have privacy and, for a short time, a place to call their own. But it’s not just short-term help that’s on offer, members are also given year-round services that will help in the long term.
“Crisis at Christmas is open for anybody experiencing homelessness – not just rough sleepers but sofa surfers and those sleeping in temporary accommodation such as B&Bs,” says Matt Cruz, who works in Crisis’s community and events fundraising team. “It’s a warm, welcoming space where people can register with Crisis and take the first steps out of homelessness. There’s a great ambience, with live entertainment, and everyone’s joking and smiling. More importantly, people have access to things to make their lives easier: clothes, toiletries, plus not being on the streets at such a cold time of the year.”
The annual event was founded in 1972 (five years after the charity was created), and has been helping people who are homeless stay off the streets during the festive period since. Here are some important dates in the Crisis at Christmas archives.
1971: Four years after Crisis was founded, Quakers arranged a candle-lit vigil at London’s Hyde Park to raise money for people experiencing homelessness. More than 3,000 people showed up – including staff and volunteers from Crisis – with £7,000 raised for homelessness organisations in the East End.
1972: Inspired by the response to the previous year’s vigil, the first Crisis at Christmas event took place in 1972. People experiencing homelessness were provided with shelter, food and companionship at St Anne’s Church in Westminster, thanks to 20 volunteers mobilised by Crisis. Meanwhile, the first Crisis Carol Service took place at Southwark Cathedral.
1977: Campaigning led to the 1977 Housing (Homeless Persons) Act, a major step forward in legally protecting people experiencing homelessness. Crisis’s Christmas operation continued to grow with impromptu centres in places such as disused churches popping up all over London, caring for hundreds of people who were unable to stay in hostels, which typically closed their doors during the festive season.
1981: Crisis staged its first Christmas radio appeal, raising more than £55,000.
1992: By now, Crisis was helping people experiencing homelessness across Great Britain. Yet, despite having grown, Crisis still found it difficult to find properties to host its annual Christmas event. Ian Richards, head of Crisis at Christmas, who started working for the charity 30 years ago, remembers scouring “the streets of London, looking for old warehouses and office buildings we could rent out cheaply over Christmas”.
1995: The Crisis at Christmas dental service was launched, sparking a tradition that sees dentist volunteers fix guests’ teeth at the centres so they can enjoy Christmas dinners free from pain.
2003: Haircuts, health checks, tai chi, arts and crafts classes, massages and samba lessons started being offered at Crisis at Christmas centres. At the main London venue, a dog zone was introduced, which allowed guests to leave their pets with minders while they used the facilities. Many guests received a package for their pooches, which included food, tags, collars, squeaky toys and flea treatments.
2004: London’s Millennium Dome (now the o2) transformed into a giant hostel for Crisis at Christmas. The “dog zone” was renamed, becoming a canine creche, while 2004’s “be inspired” theme saw guests receive training in plumbing, IT and more.
2006: Thousands of donors bought Crisis Christmas puddings for £20, a sum that gave someone experiencing homelessness Christmas dinner and the chance to see a doctor, dentist or a counsellor. Silver sixpences were concealed in 100 puddings, giving those who found them the chance to attend Pudstock, a concert that featured Supergrass and Dirty Pretty Things.
2010: Coldplay performed two “hidden” Christmas gigs to raise funds for Crisis in Liverpool and Newcastle. Two theatres were rammed to the rafters, even though the venues were only announced on the eve of the concerts. Support act the Choir With No Name, a group founded by people experiencing homelessness, lent a poignant touch with their Christmas covers. The gigs raised £250,000 – enough to establish a Crisis centre in Liverpool.
2012: Ed Sheeran launched 2012’s Crisis at Christmas campaign in Newcastle. Pre-fame, Sheeran volunteered at Crisis shelters and also experienced homelessness, crashing on friends’ sofas and spending nights sleeping on the tube.
2013: Crisis at Christmas received a record number of people at its centres in 2013, highlighting the severity of the homelessness problem across the UK. Almost 4,500 people visited over the festive season, a rise of 22% from the previous year. The volunteers yet again demonstrated their brilliance, serving more than 30,000 meals in just one week.
2016: Crisis supporter, Sir Ian McKellen, hosted a Christmas dinner for Crisis at his riverside pub The Grapes, in Limehouse, east London (McKellen has also visited Crisis centres on Boxing Day in the past).
2020: Christmas get-togethers were cancelled for millions of families across the UK due to lockdown measures. Crisis at Christmas still took place, but with some big changes. Distancing restrictions meant much support and entertainment had to be delivered remotely, with Crisis volunteers delivering mobile phones, laptops and iPads to members. Meanwhile, in a year when the government temporarily housed people who experienced homelessness in empty hotels throughout the pandemic, Crisis also provided hotel rooms for 475 people rather than putting them up in their usual dormitories.
2021: Just as Crisis at Christmas was about to return to normal – with its usual day centres set to reappear after a two-year absence – the rise in Covid cases put the country back into lockdown. As a result, the Crisis day centres were repurposed into Crisis Christmas hubs, where people could get Covid vaccinations, food packages and urgent advice. In the media, celebrity supporters such as Chris Martin, Dina Asher-Smith, Emma Thompson and Ellie Goulding narrated Twelve Nights, a short film raising awareness about homelessness.
2022: Crisis at Christmas is celebrating its 50th anniversary in a year when more than 227,000 people across Britain are currently experiencing the worst forms of homelessness. This looks set to increase due to the cost of living crisis and rents rising at their fastest rate outside of the capital in 16 years, which makes the need for volunteers and donations more pressing than ever, says Cruz.
“This year, there’s a big need for logistics – people who can drive and pick up supplies and deliveries, plus volunteers who can spend time talking with our members,” says Cruz. “Being involved with Crisis at Christmas is definitely an experience to remember.”
If you’re interested in ending homelessness by volunteering, campaigning, fundraising or making a donation to Crisis, and want to find out more, visit crisis.org.uk
