Christmas, as we all know, is a time of festive wreaths, carols, and gift-giving – but it is also a period when we should be thinking about whether we are doing everything to can to support and show compassion towards one another.
It is very much this kind of thinking that has led our team at Transport Planning Associates (TPA) to continue our recent tradition of donating to Crisis rather than sending Christmas cards, to further the work it does to help some of the most vulnerable members of our society.
What is Crisis at Christmas?
Crisis is the UK’s national charity dedicated towards helping people experiencing homelessness – and to this end, works directly with thousands of homeless people every year.
While Crisis provides services all year round – encompassing one-to-one support, advice, and courses for homeless people across 12 areas in England, Scotland and Wales – it is perhaps especially known by many for its Crisis at Christmas campaigns.
Crisis at Christmas has seen running since the early 1970s, providing food, warmth, companionship, and vital services to individuals experiencing homelessness during the festive period.
The pressures that great numbers of people have encountered as a consequence of the cost-of-living crisis have only further underlined the imperative role that campaigns like Crisis at Christmas play in helping people face down, recover from, and leave behind homelessness for good.
It also reminds our team at Transport Planning Associates that organisations like Crisis simply must be supported by those who are able to offer such support – not least given that no one in our society can be sure that they will never be affected by homelessness in some way.
How can you support Crisis this festive season?
Simply click through to the charity’s Crisis at Christmas webpage to learn more about the latest campaign, and what you can do to help.
As the charity’s website explains, a gift donation of just £29.07 could be enough to provide someone experiencing homelessness with invaluable and potentially life-saving support. Such support could take the form of help with a safe place to stay, as well as access to health and wellbeing programmes, and – of course – hot meals and a fulfilling Christmas dinner.
That donation could also help provide someone with the crucial platform they need to turn a corner in their lives and permanently leave homelessness behind.
We would therefore very much urge anyone and everyone reading this to give what they can this Christmas. The TPA team will be donating £2,907 this year – the equivalent of 100 gifts – to help make the coming months feel that little bit warmer and more hospitable for those who truly need the help.