Last updated: 25 May 2022
Donate
If you want to help out, consider supporting your local homelessness service with a donation, no matter how small. They will greatly appreciate your support. They may also welcome donations of food or clothing but always check with them first. You can use our Homeless England database to find local services. It is always best to find out what services are already being provided by charities and other organisations in your area. This avoids duplication.
Donate food to your local food bank, as they are continuing to support a higher number of people than before the pandemic. Find a food bank.
Volunteer. Many local charities rely on volunteers to help out. Find your nearest community group on the Homeless England database and contact them to see if they need help. You can also register for volunteering opportunities at:
- www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk
- https://do-it.org/
- Or find your local volunteering centre through the NCVO volunteer centre finder.
Campaign
Homeless Link and many of its members (which include Shelter and Crisis) run regular campaigns on specific issues that you can join:-
- https://england.shelter.org.uk/support_us/campaigns/campaign_with_shelter
- https://www.crisis.org.uk/get-involved/campaign/
Alternatively, you can just write or visit your MP or councillor to raise your concerns about homelessness in general, using some of the facts in these packs. If you don’t know who your MP is, or how to contact them, you can find them on www.theyworkforyou.com
Talk
Homelessness can be a hidden problem so it’s also good to talk about it with your friends, neighbours or on social media. Homelessness is not just something that happens in big cities. It happens everywhere.
When talking to others, or writing to MPs it’s good to challenge people’s assumptions.
These assumptions can include:-
- Self makingness – people become homeless through their own bad choices
- Othering – homelessness doesn’t happen to people like me
- Homelessness=rough sleeping. Because it is the only visible form of homelessness
- Prevention is missing. Homelessness can’t be prevented
- Fatalism. The system is rigged and will never change
Some of the arguments that you can use to counter these are:-
- Everyone has the right to safe and stable home
- No one should be forced to live like this
- We should treat people like human beings
- We can do better than this
- Homelessness takes a heavy toll on our communities
- If we work together we can…..
It’s really important that we all work together to change the terms of the debate. That we are aspirational and positive about the changes that are needed, and their achievability. Of course, you must use your own words, but think about the impact they have on people.
Join the movement to end homelessness. No matter which of the actions in this leaflet you take. They will all help to make a difference. Homelessness is not inevitable. Together we can end it for good.