For every homeless person there is a story. Rough sleepers, sofa-surfers and families living in miserable or temporary accommodation have all got there by different routes and for different reasons.

We all feel we would like to do something to help, and some of us also feel ashamed to live in a town, a relatively prosperous town full of good people doing good things to keep the world turning, that there are fellow residents that don’t have a decent home to call their own. There are many things we might do, but here’s one.

Volunteer with a charity or organisation that operates locally. LWS Night Shelter is currently looking for volunteers to assist with a variety of things: cooking or serving dinner, washing up, playing chess or board games with guests, or maybe just chatting with them. Or their dog. Stay overnight if you can, to ensure that there’s always someone to open the door to a latecomer.

Look at their facebook page or website (www.lwsnightshelter.org)  to contact them. LWS was started by students at Warwick University, and student volunteers are a mainstay of the group. Now the summer vacation has started, students are thin on the ground so you will be more welcome than ever. And not just by your fellow volunteers.

Susan Rasmussen