Getting homeless people back to work

Published by Brian Church for 24dash.com in Housing and also in Communities

South London YMCA has received a grant of more than £54,000 from the London Housing Foundation to help homeless people get back to work.

The Customer Employment Partnership is made up of 11 organisations working with homeless people. They share job opportunities within the homelessness sector, with a dedicated worker at SLYMCA supporting clients of the group in applying. To date over 40 homeless and ex homeless people have been successful in securing posts - all of them paid.

“Homeless people have skills that can be extremely beneficial to employers particularly within the homelessness sector,” said SLYMCA’s Kevin Rothero who manages the scheme.

LHF executive chairman Don Wood said: “This is exactly the kind of innovative and ambitious scheme that we want to fund. Homelessness is complex and challenging, but finding work is for many the key to getting back on their feet.”

The London Housing Foundation is a charitable trust committed to assisting the agencies which comprise the homelessness sector in London in securing a better future for single homeless people.