Every year Career Moves gifts their clients and candidates in time for the holiday season, as a way of saying thank you. This year in light of everything that has happened, we wanted to give back to those that really need it, by making small donations to charities that are important to us.
No one can deny that this year has been tough and we have all had to navigate our own mental wellbeing through the continual lockdowns. This is when we are grateful for friends and family and being able to lean on them for support. It emphasises to us even more how essential a safe and secure home is for our mental wellbeing. This is why one of our chosen charities this year has been for the national homelessness charity Crisis.
Read about where the money you donate will go to give someone a better Christmas.
‘People experiencing homelessness are generally more exposed to coronavirus. For people sleeping on the street or in shared temporary accommodation, self-isolating just isn’t possible; likewise, for those sofa-surfing or in night shelters, social distancing is impossible. Where self-isolation has been possible, the challenges of loneliness and isolation can feel even greater.
Sadly, this Christmas thousands of people will be alone, forced onto the streets, into sofa surfing, or into a hostel with nowhere to call home and no-one to be with. And many will be experiencing their first homeless Christmas.
Throughout each year, Crisis supports thousands of people who are homeless. And now, as the toughest time of year approaches, we’re getting ready to help people again this Christmas. Social distancing means we’ll be doing things differently in our Christmas services, but we’ll be supporting and looking after as many people as we possibly can. And the spirit of a Crisis Christmas will be exactly the same. We will treat people with care and respect – giving them that warm Crisis welcome, helping them get back on their feet and feel ready to take on life again.
This Christmas our frontline teams will be providing people with somewhere safe and warm to stay, food and festive treats. We’ll be on hand with emotional and wellbeing support, advice and access to Crisis’ year-round services to help people find a safe, permanent home’. The Crisis Team
How to get involved:
Donate:
This Christmas the need for your support is as vital as ever. A gift of £28.22could help someone take their first steps out of homelessness this Christmas, and will give someone who is homeless access to:
· Somewhere safe to stay
· Support from volunteer befrienders
· Essential food and festive treats
· Phone and online support
· Christmas activity packs of arts and crafts, games and quizzes
· Health and wellbeing programmes
· Year-round support with training and education
· Advice on housing, employment and benefits
· The chance to leave homelessness behind for good.
Shop to Stop Homelessness:
Choose a gift from our Shop to Stop Homelessness and support Crisis’ work to end homelessness. Choose from our range of gifts that change lives or shop for gifts that you or a loved one can enjoy. Either way, you’ll be helping someone who is homeless to rebuild their life.
Donate gift-in-kind
To run our services, we rely heavily on donated items, from shoes to stationery. Our work at Christmas is only made possible through the collective effort and generosity of communities across Britain that donate the vital resources needed to support and inspire those facing homelessness.
Wherever you’re based in the UK,take a look at our Christmas wishlistsand team up with your colleagues to help us make sure we have enough supplies for everyone by delivering packages of donations to our warehouse in December.
If you can’t deliver to us, we also have an Amazon Wish Listwhere you can buy gift-in-kind donations to be sent straight to our warehouse. Download our Community Donations poster to tell friends and colleagues about your collection.
Fundraise:
ThisChristmas may look different to last year’s, but however you spend it, you could still support Crisis.Here are a few ideas to get you started:
· Crisis Icebreaker: Each year we see hundreds of Crisis supporters brave the freeze to end homelessness at our live jump-ins across the country. With the recent lockdown announcements, we are asking you to take on the DIY Icebreaker challenge, your way! Let’s get the nation screaming collectively, as we face the freeze from home.
· 12 Days of Crisis: Why not join people all over the country in the 12 Days of Crisis challenge this Christmas and take part in twelve days of fundraising. It’s totally up to you what challenges you set yourself and when you want to start your 12 days. You could choose a new fundraising idea every day, or one to take part in throughout. You could even challenge friends, colleagues or family members to do it with you. Do it your way and make it your own 12 Days of Crisis.
· Make it Crisis this Christmas: We have plenty of ideas on our website about how you can have fun while raising money for Crisis.Make It Crisis this Christmasis a handy guide we’ve created – and you can even order a free fundraising pack online full of posters, stickers and balloons, as well as Facebook filters and Zoom backgrounds, to make your Christmas fundraising that bit more festive.
By raising money for Crisis this Christmas, you could give someone support and companionship, meal deliveries, festive treats, specialist advice and more, with the chance to end their homelessness for good through our year-round services.
Share the message:
Over the winter we need as much support from the general public as possible, and sharing our messages on social media is key to this.
Some sample posts:
- No-one should be homeless and alone this Christmas. We’re supporting @crisis_uk this Christmas to ensure homeless people across the country have the support they need this winter. Join the campaign: https://www.crisis.org.uk/crisis-at-christmas/
- We’re proud to be standing side by side with people experiencing homelessness this Christmas. For just £28.22 you can give the gift of a @crisis_uk Christmas too – learn more here: https://www.crisis.org.uk/crisis-at-christmas/
- Everyone in our society should have a safe and secure home. But right now, many people are denied this basic human need. We’re supporting homeless people this Christmas with a donation to @crisis_uk. Please join us and learn more at: https://www.crisis.org.uk/crisis-at-christmas/
