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Social Enterprises
These pages are about developing social enterprises in the homelessness sector. With some social enterprises, the focus is on the service that the business delivers to a community. With others, the aim is to provide employment and other opportunities to socially excluded groups. Social enterprises are sometimes freestanding businesses, sometimes offshoots of homelessness agencies.
What is Social Enterprise?
- See our briefing on Social enterprises in the homelessness sector.
The Social Enterprise Unit, which is now part of the Office of the Third Sector in the Cabinet Office, says that:
"Social enterprises are businesses with primarily social objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested for that purpose in the business or in the community, rather than being driven by the need to maximise profit for shareholders and owners."
Community Interest Companies
Community Interest Companies (CICs) are a form of limited liability company specifically for social enterprises. They are subject to a "community interest test" and "asset lock", which ensure that the CIC is established for community purposes and the assets and profits are dedicated to these purposes. Registration of a company as a CIC has to be approved by a Regulator, who also has a continuing monitoring and enforcement role.
Resources
- The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK's national body for social enterprise.
- Social Enterprise London has produced a new finance guide aimed at social enterprises at all stages of development.
- The Spark website has a page on 10 steps to a successful social enterprise
- Social Enterprise Visits is an organisation whose aim is to promote better business through shared learning and the exchange of ideas and experience. This is achieved via a series of scheduled one-day visits to social enterprises, customised visits and other events.
- See our London pages on Social Enterprise.