Let's face it, most people who volunteer are passionate about helping people - but for some influencing social change is also important. Volunteering for a campaigning organisation allows volunteers to help make things happen for large charities. Find out what the grass roots activists get up to here.

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Friday May 19, 2006

Prepare to be inspired...

I spoke to a young woman this morning who has had to move 4 times in the last year with her two children under 5.

She left her partner after his violence became so vicious she feared for her children's safety. The women's refuge she fled to was "horrendous, unsafe, and the three of us got one single bed."

The colourful highlights of her next 2 "homes" included a flat with no gas, heating or hot water and another in a "ghetto" neighbourhood up five floors of a stairwell so riddled with urine, vomit and rubbish that she would carry both her children up them.

She is now living in a tiny flat, sharing a bed with her daughter, waiting for a permanent council home to become available.

There are currently over 100,000 people living in temporary accommodation in the UK. That can be anything from B&Bs and hostels to properties specifically allocated to those waiting for a council house. And whilst the number people sleeping rough in the UK has fallen – the current estimate is around 500 – the number of households living in temporary accommodation had risen 120% since Labour came to power.

 There are scores of reasons why people become homeless – parents and friends being unable to put them up, violence, relationship breakdown, mortgage or rent arrears; but very few reasons for why anyone living in the forth richest country in the world should have to endure the kind of year this young family have.

I've met many people working for Shelter who are fiercely passionate and dedicated to the organisation they work for. But this woman is only a couple of years older than me, and is severely depressed as she feels she is " wrecking her kids' lives by making them stay in these places."

All she wants is a home. The inspiration to volunteer for an organisation striving to provide just that for hundreds of thousands of people across the UK has come most pertinently from her.

Want to find out more about Shelter or how you can get involved? Visit www.shelter.org.uk

Posted by Rachael ( 2:49 PM )
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