Crisis (charity)
Encyclopedia
Crisis is is the UK national charity for single homeless
people. The charity offers year-round education, employment, housing and well-being services from centres in London, Newcastle, Oxford, Edinburgh and Merseyside, called Crisis Skylight Centres.
As well as year-round services Crisis runs Crisis at Christmas, which since 1972 has been offering food, warmth, companionship and vital services to homeless people over the Christmas period. In 2010 almost 3,000 homeless people visited Crisis at Christmas, which was run by about 8,000 volunteers.
Since its inception Crisis has been a campaigning organisation, lobbying government for political change that prevents and mitigates homelessness based on research commissioned and undertaken by the organisation.
shown the previous year, and a publicity campaign led by reforming Conservatives William Shearman and Ian Macleod
highlighting the plight of homeless people.
Since the sixties Crisis has evolved to meet the changing needs of single homeless people, campaigning for change and delivering services to help people find a route out of their homelessness across the UK.
Crisis Skylight London opened in 2002, with a Crisis Skylight Cafe social enterprise
opening on the same site on Commercial Street
in East London in 2004. In 2007 Crisis Skylight Newcastle opened its doors, followed by Crisis Skylight Birmingham and Crisis Skylight Edinburgh in 2010 and Crisis Skylight Oxford and Crisis Skylight Merseyside in 2011.
period. The project is run almost entirely by around 8,000 volunteers, making it the largest volunteer-led event in the UK. In 2010 saw about 3,000 homeless people come through the doors. All buildings used as Crisis at Christmas Centres are temporarily donated.
Services offered to homeless people at Christmas include healthcare, opticians, podiatry, dentistry, natural healing and hairdressing.
.
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
people. The charity offers year-round education, employment, housing and well-being services from centres in London, Newcastle, Oxford, Edinburgh and Merseyside, called Crisis Skylight Centres.
As well as year-round services Crisis runs Crisis at Christmas, which since 1972 has been offering food, warmth, companionship and vital services to homeless people over the Christmas period. In 2010 almost 3,000 homeless people visited Crisis at Christmas, which was run by about 8,000 volunteers.
Since its inception Crisis has been a campaigning organisation, lobbying government for political change that prevents and mitigates homelessness based on research commissioned and undertaken by the organisation.
History
Crisis was founded in 1967 in response to the Ken Loach film Cathy Come HomeCathy Come Home
Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...
shown the previous year, and a publicity campaign led by reforming Conservatives William Shearman and Ian Macleod
Iain Macleod
Iain Norman Macleod was a British Conservative Party politician and government minister.-Early life:...
highlighting the plight of homeless people.
Since the sixties Crisis has evolved to meet the changing needs of single homeless people, campaigning for change and delivering services to help people find a route out of their homelessness across the UK.
Crisis Skylight Centres
Crisis Skylight Centres are accredited education, training and employment centres, offering practical and creative workshops in supportive and inspiring environments, together with formal learning opportunities that lead to qualifications and finding work.Crisis Skylight London opened in 2002, with a Crisis Skylight Cafe social enterprise
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies business strategies to achieving philanthropic goals. Social enterprises can be structured as a for-profit or non-profit....
opening on the same site on Commercial Street
Commercial Street (London)
Commercial Street is a road in Tower Hamlets, east London that runs north to south from Shoreditch High Street to Whitechapel High Street through the East End district of Spitalfields...
in East London in 2004. In 2007 Crisis Skylight Newcastle opened its doors, followed by Crisis Skylight Birmingham and Crisis Skylight Edinburgh in 2010 and Crisis Skylight Oxford and Crisis Skylight Merseyside in 2011.
Crisis at Christmas
Since 1972 Crisis at Christmas has been offering food, warmth, companionship and services to homeless people in London over the ChristmasChristmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
period. The project is run almost entirely by around 8,000 volunteers, making it the largest volunteer-led event in the UK. In 2010 saw about 3,000 homeless people come through the doors. All buildings used as Crisis at Christmas Centres are temporarily donated.
Services offered to homeless people at Christmas include healthcare, opticians, podiatry, dentistry, natural healing and hairdressing.
Local councils failing homeless people
In 2011, Crisis published a report which found that local councils were not helping young single homeless people to find housing. It stated that 39% of people interviewed had resorted to squattingSquatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
.