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Social Enterprises in the Homelessness Sector
This briefing is about social enterprises in the homelessness sector. An increasing number of homelessness-related organisations are operating social enterprises, or social businesses, as a way of providing training and/or employment opportunities for homeless and other socially excluded people and to raise funds for other areas of their work.
What is a Social Enterprise?
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."
Social Enterprise London provides a definition of Social Enterprise that lists six areas where social enterprise has potential. Three of these have particular relevance to the homelessness sector:
- Increasing first time employment opportunities for those on the margins of the labour market (long term un-employed and those with physical, learning, or mental health disabilities)
- As a model for public service delivery, both as a way to engage in the externalisation of local authority services and to develop local suppliers
- Achieving corporate social responsibility goals for the private sector
The last of these is what Business Action on Homelessness does in the homelessness sector.
Some Social Enterprises in the Sector
Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH)
Business Action on Homelessness is part of Business in the Community. It runs a number of programmes aimed at helping homeless and formerly homeless people into employment, including Ready for Work, which offers work placements at leading UK businesses.
Furniture and other recycling schemes
Schemes that aim to recycle furniture and other material that might otherwise go into landfill often have the additional aim of protecting the environment. Local Authorities have the option to pay recycling credits to organisations collecting material that would otherwise go into landfill. DEFRA Guidance states that this is paid at the same rate as waste collection authorities are paid by waste disposal authorities and regulations give examples of up to £66 per tonne (in London).
Furniture schemes are particularly appropriate to the homelessness sector as they can provide cheap but good quality furniture for homeless people moving into independent accommodation.
ReStore Community Projects is a freestanding social enterprise in North London. It is a member of the London Furniture Reuse Network. ReStore was previously an offshoot of Kings Cross Homelessness Project. It lists its aims as:
- To provide good quality low cost furniture and appliances
- To provide training and employment opportunities, in particular those who are or have been homeless or those with other social needs
- To help the environment through the reuse and recycling and appliances
Watford New Hope Trust is a Homeless Link member that provides a range of welfare and accommodation services for homeless people. It runs a wood and furniture recycling scheme that restores self-esteem to homeless or recently resettled people through woodwork, furniture recycling and bicycle repair.
Other Schemes
ThamesReach operates two social enterprises. Streetshine provides homeless people with the opportunity to earn a living and learn valuable new skills by operating a shoe care service within office buildings for employees of participating companies. SHiFT gives homeless and vulnerable people the chance to undertake paid work in the field of painting and decorating.
Phoenix Landscapes is a gardening project in Manchester that is run by the Booth Centre. Its aims are:
- To provide a high quality garden maintenance service to customers in the Manchester/Salford Area.
- To provide work experience and training to people who are, or have been homeless.
- To enable gardeners to gain qualifications and to move on to paid employment.
- To positively contribute to the local community and improve local environment.
Novas runs a range of social businesses including Cafe Arlington, which employs homeless people and other excluded individuals.
YPrint is a social enterprise set up and owned by Birkenhead YMCA. It provides a printing service to the local community while training service users in all aspects of the graphic arts and print production.
Resources
- 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.