--- title: "Shelter vs Crisis — homelessness charity comparison" description: "Shelter vs Crisis compared: two major UK homelessness charities — advice and campaigning models, Clarity Scores and UK regulator filings." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/shelter-vs-crisis retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:25:38.250Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [CS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/shelter) [CENTREPOINT SOHO](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/shelter) 76/100 4★ Reg. 292411 compared with [CU](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/crisis) [CRISIS UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/crisis) 77/100 4★ Reg. 1082947 # Shelter vs Crisis — homelessness charity comparison **In short:** Shelter and Crisis are both major homelessness organisations with strong public profiles — compare what each emphasises, then check Clarity Scores and cause spend before you donate. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 29 July 2026. Shelter vs Crisis is a common search when donors want to help homelessness but do not want to guess between two familiar names. Read each charity’s stated activities, then use filings and Clarity Score beacons. For local beds and outreach, also compare city-based providers — national brands are not the only option. ## Key differences | What to compare | CENTREPOINT SOHO | CRISIS UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Cause area | Homelessness and housing | Homelessness and housing | | Typical emphasis | Advice, support and campaigning at national scale | National homelessness charity with services and campaigning | | Local alternative | Also compare city hostels and outreach charities | Also compare city hostels and outreach charities | | Best if you want | A major national homelessness charity you already recognise as Shelter | A major national homelessness charity you already recognise as Crisis | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | CENTREPOINT SOHO | CRISIS UK | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 76/100 (4★) | 77/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 71% of expenditure | 64% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £3.8 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £3.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £63m | £67m | | Fundraising spend | 29% of expenditure | 32% of expenditure | | Reserves | 2 months | 2 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 292411 | 1082947 | [CENTREPOINT SOHO on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/292411) · [CRISIS UK on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/1082947) ## CENTREPOINT SOHO may suit you if… - You specifically want to support Shelter’s work - You want a national homelessness brand with advice/campaigning heritage [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/shelter) ## CRISIS UK may suit you if… - You specifically want to support Crisis’s work - You are choosing between the two household names after reading both profiles [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/crisis) ## Common questions ### Shelter vs Crisis — which is better to donate to? There is no universal winner. Compare Clarity Scores, cause spend and filing record on CharityCompare, read what each does, and give to the organisation whose work you want to fund. ### Should I donate locally instead? If you want bed nights and outreach in one city, a local homelessness charity may match your intention better. See our national vs local homelessness comparison. 100 How we score charities +The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=shelter,crisis) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)