Crisis

Here's why some of us are more at risk of being pushed into homelessness ▶️

It's October so we're officially getting ready for #CrisisAtChristmas! None of our work would be possible without our legendary army of volunteers and many of you are already asking when you can sign up for this year. We have a date for your calendars: the volunteering registration page will be open to the public on OCTOBER 14th! It's T minus 10! #Excited

We spent the last few weeks at Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative Party Conferences, meeting with a range of politicians to talk to them about how they can help. With a new party in government for the first time in 14 years and half of MPs in Westminster new to their roles, we had our work cut out! Here are four things we learned at the Party Conferences: https://lnkd.in/eCdbtmZB

It was great meeting Jayne Bryant, the new Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government in Wales yesterday. We discussed the importance of pressing ahead with the Llywodraeth Cymru / Welsh Government's National Action Plan to End Homelessness. Our CEO, Matt Downie MBE, who also chairs the Ending Homelessness National Advisory Board in Wales, and the Cabinet Secretary talked about the challenges people experiencing homelessness face as well as the pressures housing services are under in these difficult times. It’s vital that we all continue to work together to end homelessness in Wales.

No home, no support. No support, no home. 🔁   A fixed address is a vital piece of information we all need to access essential services like healthcare appointments, employment, bank accounts and financial support like benefits.   Yet people experiencing homelessness have no address, which creates huge barriers when they try to access services and support. This prevents people from being able to take the steps needed to leave homelessness behind.   It’s a horrific catch-22 situation to get trapped within.   When someone walks through our doors, it can be the first day where everything changes. The day someone gets help with finding a safe place to stay, employment and training. With the ongoing support of their dedicated lead worker, it can be the day someone starts their life beyond homelessness.

The Government has promised to deliver a generational shift in the amount of new social and affordable homes built. Making good on this promise will be critical to ending homelessness. Achieving this will require both investment to allow councils and housing associations to build more and reform of the planning system to ensure developers play their part too. That’s why we’re calling on the Government to look again at their proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework to set a clear expectation that the construction of new social rented homes is prioritised and that the needs of people experiencing homelessness are addressed by local needs assessments. Read our blog ➡️ https://lnkd.in/epmr3awt

It was a pleasure to welcome Member of the Senedd for Swansea West, Julie James to our South Wales Skylight today! It was great to talk about the work we do at the South Wales Skylight and the importance of working together to end homelessness in Wales. A special shout out to our members who talked about their experience of homelessness and baked a tasty banana loaf to share. 🍌 🍰

After going through a bad relationship, Joan hit rock bottom and had no option but to sleep on an airport bench. That's when she came to Crisis. Supported by her Crisis Coach, Ed, she applied for a Changing Lives grant, which helped her achieve her dream of opening a bridal shop. “I was going through a rough time. I was in a bad relationship and had lost myself. During COVID, my dad sadly passed away. I had to find places to stay. I stayed in a hostel, I slept in an airport on a bench. "One day, I saw a flyer about Crisis. I made an appointment to go and see them, and they helped me with the support I needed. I told my lead worker, Ed, about the business plan for a bridal store I’d written years ago, and he told me about the grant I could apply for. "After I applied for the grant, I was supported in many ways. One of the elements of receiving the grant was I had to take courses such as business planning and marketing. I was assigned a mentor. Also going into Crisis and speaking with Ed frequently on how I was doing. “I started out with 15 dresses. People might think 15 dresses aren’t a lot but it only takes one person to like one dress. You get good reviews then you build. It’s all thanks to the grant that I could buy the dresses. "Selling my first dress was surreal. It’s not easy, but it’s going better than I expected so far! "The grant does what is says. It’s changes lives. When you find your back against a wall with nowhere to turn, someone is giving you an olive branch. You can go to school, take classes, start your business. I don’t know how it wouldn’t change your life." Read more stories like this in the 10th edition of our magazine for supporters, Together: https://bit.ly/43N8Ne3

This week it's been great to be at the Labour Party Conference, thanks to our partners, Lloyds Banking Group. There's been a big focus on housing at this conference, so we've been speaking to MPs about the 90,000 social homes needed each year to end homelessness. It's been great to see so much support for our vision for a future free from homelessness. Some highlights of the week included: 👉 Catching up with Mike Amesbury about his time in Finland and how we can move to a similar system in England, that helps people into a home as quickly as possible with the right support to keep that home. 👉 Chatting with members of APPG for Ending Homelessness, working in Parliament to champion people facing homelessness, the organisations that support them and solutions to end homelessness for good. 👉Speaking to different Ministers about the role their department can play in preventing and ending homelessness. We warmly welcome the commitment to a cross-Government strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness. 👉The Prime Minister recognising people at risk of homelessness in his speech, including survivors of domestic abuse & people leaving care. If you want to play your part in ending homelessness, join us to tell the Government that you're counting on them to deliver: https://bit.ly/3ZA5QNV #LPC24

Only 2 weeks to go! 10 October is World Homeless Day, and we are offering businesses the chance to join Crisis partners and staff to learn more about our plans to end homelessness and explore some of the challenges that lie ahead. The Partnerships team invite you to attend our gathering on 10 October; a free, in-person lunch event, with panel discussion and Q&A, in central London. If you work for a company and would like to find out more, please email ella.zamir@crisis.org.uk as soon as possible to secure your place.