Get involved Top ten ways to make a difference We can all be part of the solution. Below, we count down our top ten ways to support people affected by homelessness. 1. Make a human connection At Glass Door, we are supporting a growing number of people who are struggling after loosing their livelihood during the pandemic. Some are sleeping rough for the first time. With less people out and about, people sleeping on the street or on buses are feeling more isolated than ever before. While respecting social distancing rules, we suggest you make eye contact smile (even if you are wearing a mask) say hello ask how they are and if they would like help connecting to local services We believe it's a personal choice whether or not to give money. There are other ways to help. You could say: "Sorry, I don't have any change. Would you like to have a quick chat?" Opening yourself up for conversation with a stranger is not easy. But we know loneliness is one of the most insidious side effects of homelessness. 2. Take part in an Event There are plenty of ways you can help raise awareness and funds. For example: Take on a challenge event that supports Glass Door or any other local charity combatting homelessness. First up: Sign up by Feb 18 to join the Glass Door team taking part in the London Walk. Look out for our annual Sleep Out on the first Friday in October. For one night, give up the luxury of your bed and swap it for a sleeping bag on the floor. Take part as a group or individually. Or create your own Sleep Out event any time of year. Use Skype, Zoom or House Party to hold a virtual quiz or class with a suggested donation. Or find another way to fundraise. Contact Glass Door for fundraising inspiration and support. 3. Connect someone to services We recommend asking your local homeless charity how you can refer people to their services. Or direct someone directly to one of our partnering day centres, where Glass Door caseworkers are on-hand to provide support. If you are local to South West/ West London, download, print, fold and carry copies of our "Find Shelter and Support" flyers. Download flyer Also, consider connecting someone on the streets to the local Streetlink team. The details of the location you provide would be sent to the local authority so they can help the person to services. Always ask the person if they allow you to contact StreetLink on their behalf first. If someone is in need of urgent medical attention, call 111 or 999. Find out more on our: Find Help page 4. Donate or Fundraise A one-off or regular donation to your local front-line charity can help bring shelter and support to someone who needs it most. Donate to Glass Door now Or ask friends and family to make a donation for your birthday via a Facebook fundraiser. We are thankful for support from businesses and schools as well. Find out how your work place or local school can work with Glass Door as their nominated "charity of the year". 5. Support restaurants and other establishments making a difference When in Hammersmith and Fulham, look for the network of contactless devices in pubs, shops and office buildings from Small Tap Big Change. These devices allow you to give fixed donations of £2 per tap, funds that support local homeless charities including Glass Door. Our friends at The Good Slice serve pizza with a purpose. Usually found at festivals, they've pivoted to delivering pizza to homes in south London. Every delicious pizza purchased gives back to Glass Door. When you are able to dine out, look for one of the many excellent restaurants that take part in StreetSmart, a charity that passes on donations to Glass Door and other reputable homeless charities. Buy your cuppa from ChangePlease, "a social enterprise staffed by the homeless, to support the homeless". Look out for local Big Issue vendor. Find your local vendor at Big issue's handy online look up tool. 6. Raise funds while shopping online Support Glass Door or a favourite charity when shopping online. By choosing one of the tools below, the retailer gives a portion of your sale to the good cause of your choice, at no extra cost to you: Easyfundraising Give as you Live AmazonSmile (and use the Smilematic tool to be redirected to Amazon Smile to support us every time you shop Amazon). 7. Volunteer The reality is we are not able to work with as many volunteers as in previous years due to Covid. However, we encourage you to keep an eye on our latest volunteer opportunities and roles with our partner organisations. 8. Donate stuff People experiencing homelessness still need basic items like food and clothes. Check out things we currently need where we also detail how and where you can donate. 9. Campaign Glass Door's pick of campaigns: Housing Justice | Nationality and Borders Bill campaign toolkit Glass Door supports Housing Justice’s campaign, which focusses on raising awareness of the bill's potential impact on people seeking refuge in the UK and the risks posed to the victims of modern slavery. Write to your MP to raise your concern for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK: https://housingjustice.org.uk/blogs/2021/nationality-and-borders-bill-campaign-toolkit Crisis | Home for All – Support for EU citizens experiencing homelessness As part of their Home For All campaigns , Crisis demands support for the thousands of EU citizens living in Britain who are facing homelessness. Sign the petition to call for their employment and housing, because no-one should be homeless, no matter where they’re from: https://campaigns.crisis.org.uk/page/92621/petition/1?ea.tracking.id=CrisisUK-web The Big Issue | Stop Mass Homelessness Glass Door has joined other leading homelessness charities calling on the UK Government to pause “no-fault” evictions and pay off renters’ arrears to prevent 225 000 people currently in arrears from losing their homes. Sign the petition at https://www.bigissue.com/stop-mass-homelessness/ 10. Register your interest in hosting a refugee Everyone is welcome at Glass Door, including refugees and individuals with no recourse to public funds. In appropriate cases, we might help these guests connect with hosting organisations. Find out more about becoming a host with organisations like Refugees at Home and Housing Justice. On behalf of Glass Door staff, volunteers and guests: THANK YOU.
