Karen's story

“There’s something different about volunteering with Crisis. I don’t quite know what it is, but it makes it a very good place to be.”

"I volunteered for Crisis at Christmas for many years, providing sewing alterations for guests’ clothing and seeing what a huge difference it made to them.  

"My first year volunteering with Crisis, I was surprised by the range of people impacted by homelessness. It confronted my prejudices about what I thought someone experiencing homelessness might look like, or sound like.  

"After Covid I moved to volunteering in the shops, which is a different experience but still one where you know the end product is helping people end homelessness. That’s always the focus. For me this is about doing something and not just walking away from the problem.  

"The atmosphere in the Hammersmith shop is great, and we’re all there for a cause that is important to us. We get customers coming in from all walks of life – some who have been homeless themselves. They’ll talk to me about it and it reminds me that we are all ordinary people."