Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, encourages Londoners to volunteer to tackle homelessness at a special event in London held by homelessness charities Crisis and Housing Justice.

The event, Tackling Homelessness, Changing Lives, was held at Methodist Central Hall in London this week to celebrate the role volunteers can play in working with the capital’s homelessness organisations to transform the lives of homeless people this Christmas and beyond, following the Mayor’s commitment to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2012.

Speaking at the event at Westminster Central Hall, the Mayor of London Boris Johnson said that whilst much has been achieved so far to help two thirds of the most entrenched rough sleepers off the streets, meeting this ambitious goal will not only require the Government and the homelessness sector to work together, it will also require the harnessing of the immense potential of the thousands of people who volunteer across London and give their time and skills to help homelessness charities.

Research from Crisis has highlighted the vital role played by volunteers. From 2008 to 2009 10,000 Crisis volunteers contributed the equivalent of £3.7 million worth of time to help transform homeless people’s lives. Housing Justice estimates that last year alone volunteers in London’s winter shelters gave 70,000 hours of their time at a value of around £715,000.

A new directory of volunteering opportunities across the homelessness sector, We Need You: Volunteer to tackle homelessness and change lives, was also launched at the event.