Crisis says the homeless need easier access to public services

It is calling for housing, health and education services to provide a single point of contact to help the homeless "navigate" through red tape.

It comes as the group opens six venues across London in its annual Christmas operation and is expecting to help 1,400 people over the next eight days.

Ministers say �350m has been invested in better services for the homeless.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister added it was financially supporting the Open Christmas event and "considerable progress" had been made to tackle homelessness.

Guests at the Crisis Open Christmas centres - where 3,500 volunteers will work - will be able to see a doctor, talk to a counsellor, get housing advice and learn about training and work schemes.

'Service navigator'

Crisis chief executive Shaks Ghosh told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are going to see thousands of people who are going to tell us horrendous stories about their attempts to get public services."

"Our vision is that a homeless person should be able to go to any service, whether it is a library service, a hospital service, a GP, (or) a housing authority, and when they go there it triggers all the other services."

However, Ms Ghosh said there needed to be a "service navigator", a single point of contact to help lead the homeless through the "maze of services", year round.

Meanwhile, Liberal Democrats leader Charles Kennedy is to visit one of the Crisis shelters before heading off on his Christmas break with his family in Scotland.