Foreword
FOREWORDS
Drawn from the work of the West Midlands Homelessness Taskforce, these practical steps are designed for employers to take action to prevent
homelessness, offer help to organisations tackling it and provide pathways to employment in their businesses.
FOREWORD BY ANDY STREET, MAYOR OF THE WEST MIDLANDS
During my time as managing director of John
Lewis, I came to realise that business has a wider
purpose, both in how it employs people and in
how it can play a key role in the community to do
good. Drawing on evidence of what works locally
and nationally, I believe that access to good
employment can act as a preventative measure
as well as a sustainable route out of
homelessness.
When I was elected as Mayor in May 2017, one
of my first actions was to set up the
Homelessness Taskforce. The purpose of the
Taskforce has been to ensure we are drawing on
all of our collective resources to design out
homelessness.
There is a huge amount of good work
being done to tackle homelessness, but
there is much more that can be done.
Through embedding homelessness
prevention within an organisation’s dayto-day business, employers can be an
important part of the solution.
This new resource is part of the Homelessness
Taskforce’s programme of work to design out
homelessness and rough sleeping across the
West Midlands and nationally. For the first time
we have brought together the practical steps that
businesses can take to help prevent and tackle
homelessness.
Within your businesses, I encourage you to
consider as employers how you can implement
the actions set out in this toolkit to prevent
homelessness within your workforce, give
practical help to your employees when issues
arise, and create pathways to employment for
people who have experienced homelessness.
Working together, we have the opportunity to
prevent and design out homelessness
FOREWORD BY AMANDA MACKENZIE, BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY
Everyone needs a decent, secure place
to live. It’s the springboard which
allows us to thrive in other areas of our
lives such as our work, education and
relationships.
So, it’s startling that in the UK, one in four people
who are homeless or facing homelessness are in
paid employment. This isn’t right and it raises the
question, what can employers do to help prevent
it?
Business in the Community has worked with the
West Midlands Homelessness Taskforce and
national partners to answer this question.
Firstly, they can start removing the stigma of
homelessness, raising awareness of the impact
and how it can be prevented.
Homelessness can be isolating but it’s not an
isolated problem. When businesses take
responsibility in their communities and for their
employees it can have a profound impact.
Secondly, create good work for all – ensuring fair
pay, development, structure and security for
employees. Provide crucial mental health support
when employees are struggling; remove barriers
in the recruitment process, provide work
experience and offer practical help through
voluntary work or work placement programmes so
that we can get people affected by homelessness
back into the workplace.
Homelessness is not inevitable and the sooner
we act, the sooner we can change lives.
Amanda Mackenzie
Chief Executive
Business in the Community
FOREWORD BY LORNA GAVIN, GOWLING WLG
The private sector currently makes up
over 83% of the UK workforce and this
means that businesses can have a huge
impact on breaking the cycle of
homelessness.
No-one is immune to the pressures that can lead
to homelessness. Many of us have experienced
insecure housing and relationship breakdown
and, without the right support, pressures like
these can build into a crisis. That’s why it’s been
a pleasure to work with the West Midlands
Combined Authority's Homelessness Taskforce
and Business in the Community to identify ways
that businesses can help at every stage of the
homelessness cycle.
We know that the business community wants to
help – but we desperately need to think beyond
offering help to people in crisis and about how we
can support employees who may be vulnerable to
homelessness before they reach that crisis point.
In the same way that businesses have moved the
dial on mental health we need to remove the
stigma associated with homelessness – let’s start
talking about the ‘H’ word! When we do help people in crisis – particularly rough sleepers – let's make sure we do it in the right ways, working in partnership with the experts so that we can be sure our help is going to give rough sleepers the best chance of getting off the streets and moving on to safe, sustainable independent living.
We also need to help people who have
experienced homelessness get back into the
workplace. This part is critical to breaking the
homelessness cycle and it is something that we
as employers are perfectly placed to do.
Through Gowling WLG’s support of Business in
the Community’s Ready for Work programme, I
have seen for myself the power of employability
support and work to change the course of
people’s lives. Offering good work that provides
stability and structure, fair pay and benefits, and
training and development opportunities can
support both existing employees who find
themselves under pressure and people who are
trying to get their lives back on track.
This resource – covering prevention, practical
help, and pathways to employment – is just what
we need to get started.
Lorna Gavin
Head of Diversity, Inclusion and Corporate Responsibility
Gowling WLG
INTRODUCTION
Homelessness – visible and invisible – is rising
across the UK. It takes many forms, from families
living in temporary accommodation to couples
and individuals sleeping on friends’ sofas, in
hostels or on the streets.
1 IN 4 PEOPLE FACING HOMELESSNESS ARE IN
WORK.
Businesses are well placed to prevent
homelessness.
Having a decent and secure place to live is the
springboard from which we can go on to thrive in
other areas of our lives like work, education and
relationships. Homelessness is an issue not only
for government and the charitable sector but one
for employers around the country.
People become homeless for a wide range of
complex reasons that involve structural factors.
For instance high housing costs combined with
pressures from their personal circumstances such
as mental health difficulties and relationship
breakdown. As people face mounting pressures
and financial insecurity, responsible employers
can play a role in preventing these pressures
from turning into a crisis.
The West Midlands Homelessness Taskforce
uses the idea of ‘designing out homelessness’ – a
perpetual, intentional process influencing
mainstream systems. This sees the prevention of
homelessness built into policies, systems,
structures and organisations.
Offering good work – including fair pay and
benefits; job security and flexibility; and training
and progression opportunities – can prevent
homelessness among existing staff and provide
the environment for new starters to sustain
employment.
People in employment who are faced with
homelessness can be supported through this
difficult period with the right structures in place.
People who are looking for work, especially those
from groups who are often excluded from
employment, can – with the right pathways – be
supported into work which can reduce their
chances of becoming homeless. Many people
who have experienced homelessness want to
work and see working as the best way out of
homelessness. Unstable housing makes it difficult
enough to hold down a job, but more subtle
barriers remain for people even once they have
National vision
Crisis, the national charity for homeless
people, has described what the world will
look like once the aim of ending
homelessness has been achieved.
• No one sleeping rough
• No one forced to live in transient,
dangerous or unfit accommodation
• No one in emergency accommodation
without a plan for rapid rehousing
• No one homeless as a result of leaving
a state institution
• All at risk of homelessness get the help
needed to prevent it
• Structural factors that contribute to
homelessness are addressed
• No one experiences homelessness
more than once
stable accommodation. However, they too can be
supported into work through positive pathways
that help to remove structural and individual
barriers. For example, gaps in employment and
address histories can cause employers to
overlook candidates and some people will have
other barriers such as a physical disability or
mental health condition, a criminal record or debt.
About this toolkit
This toolkit is based on the pioneering work of the
West Midlands Homelessness Taskforce,
experiences of a range of different employers and
homelessness sector organisations across
England and Wales, as well as Business in the
Community’s learning from almost 20 years of
supporting people who have experienced
homelessness into work.
It includes practical steps employers can take to:
• prevent homelessness
• help homelessness organisations support
people in crisis
• create pathways into employment.
These are illustrated with case study examples of
businesses and charities innovating in these
areas.
The checklist in the centre pages
offers business actions in each of
these areas, while the case
studies offer inspiration and a
blueprint for how it can be done.
Finally, it shows how businesses can take a
pivotal role – alongside government and civil
society – in designing out homelessness for good.
Positive Pathways Model
The West Midlands Positive Pathways model
(below) identifies the interventions whole systems
can offer to people who are at risk of, or facing
homelessness.
It is not a linear pathway, but a way to ensure the
right support is available when and where it is
needed. Government, the voluntary sector and
the private sector all have a role to play to prevent
homelessness and provide support where it does
occur.
Businesses can have an impact at different points
in this pathway to prevent, provide help and
create pathways to employment.
Reframing homelessness
In order to tackle the problem of homelessness, it
is crucial to deal with stigma, both in the
workplace and wider society. A piece of research
carried out by Crisis and a consortium of other
homeless charities identified the critical role that
public perceptions have in building support and
political commitment to take action. This research
highlighted some commonly held misconceptions
which were:
• Rough sleeping is the only form of
homelessness
• Homelessness affects a specific type of person
• Homelessness is seen more as a result of poor
life choices rather than structural factors
• People think homelessness is inevitable and a
social problem that can’t be solvedi
These misconceptions around homelessness only
serve to increase stigma and reinforce the idea
that nothing can be done about homelessness.
Businesses can have an important role to play by
addressing these misconceptions, removing
stigma and raising awareness, and using
appropriate language in communications around
homelessness.
For example, rather than labelling people as “the
homeless.” Use the phrase “people experiencing
homelessness”. Similarly, don’t refer to people
dealing with addiction as “addicts.” It is not a
permanent state; it is a human struggle and an
illness.
For support on how to talk about homelessness,
see Crisis’ guide.
More than rough sleeping
Rough sleeping is the visible tip of the iceberg but
there are many hidden forms of homelessness
that are harder to see and measure. These could
include whole families in temporary
accommodation, young people sleeping on
friends’ sofas or refugees in hostels. Shelter’s
‘iceberg’ metaphor highlights how homelessness
affects people beyond rough sleeping.
The business case
One in four people who are homeless or facing
homelessness are in work. This means that
before they got to crisis point, there was potential
for their employer to take action. Recognising the
relationship between the challenges people face,
the programmes and support employers have in
place, and the occurrences of homelessness
means employers will be better able to relieve
pressure and provide stability for employees who
may be facing homelessness.
For those who do become homeless, having a
supportive employer can make all the difference
to their ability to get back on their feet.
Homelessness affects businesses in a range of
ways, from absenteeism and presenteeism of
employees who may be facing homelessness to
staff and customer concerns about people rough
sleeping near or on business premises.
The cost to the workplace is substantial, though
difficult to determine accurately. However,
research estimates suggest that absence and
presenteeism costs the UK around £73 billion a
year in lost productivity.
However, businesses working to prevent
homelessness, offer practical support and provide
pathways to employment can benefit from
employee engagement and creating a pipeline of
diverse talent.
Business benefits include:
• Addressing staff shortages – in a time of high
employment, where many employers are finding
it hard to fill vacancies, widening your talent
pool through working in partnership with support
organisations to consider candidates who may
have been homeless can be part of your
inclusive recruitment strategy.
• Reducing recruitment costs – working in
partnership with the JobCentre Plus and third
sector organisations can be a cost-effective way
to find talent without having to pay expensive
recruitment agency fees.
• Increasing staff retention – finding loyal
employees can bring significant savings and
businesses that employ excluded groups report
lower turnover among those groups.
• Reducing absence – offering good work with
fair pay, job security and training and
development opportunities can have a positive
effect on absenteeism and presenteeism.
• Upskilling your existing workforce –
providing pre-employment or in-work support for
excluded groups can create volunteering
opportunities for your existing workforce. This
will help them to gain transferable skills that will
benefit your business.
• Increasing staff engagement – business
volunteers on Business in the Community’s
Ready for Work programme reported a 74%
increase in job satisfaction
• Improving client relationships and boosting
corporate reputation – 65% of organisations
taking part in inclusive employment projects
reported this had a positive impact on their
corporate reputation.
PREVENTION
The risk of homelessness is not an issue that
exists outside of businesses’ control. Recent
figures showed that 25% of people in the UK who
were homeless or facing homelessness were in
paid employmentiii. As well as the obvious human
costs, research has shown that successful
preventative measures cost much less than
allowing homelessness to become sustained or
repeated.
For employees who are facing homelessness,
employers should recognise that the process of
seeking help from local authorities and other
services may involve time off for appointments.
By allowing employees to use flexible working
arrangements or offering additional leave could
make the difference between the employee
keeping their home or becoming homeless.
Shelter offers an ‘Employee Housing Health
Check’ to help businesses understand how the
housing emergency is affecting their workforce.
Their research into in-work homelessness shows
that more than half of the families living in
temporary accommodation are actually in work.
Shelter’s Housing Health Check can help
employers to understand their employees’
housing struggles before they reach crisis point.
This makes the workplace a safe place to talk
about housing issues and a place where
employees can get the advice and support they
need to prevent homelessness. To find out more
email corporate@shelter.org.uk
Homelessness prevention and
workplace wellbeing
There are clear links between some of the factors
contributing to homelessness and the kinds of
issues human resources teams often encounter in
the workplace. Recognising these and having
support in place can be the difference between
someone losing or keeping their home as well as
their job.
21%
of homeless people cite mental health problems
as a reason for homelessness
61%
of homeless women have experienced
violence or abuse from a partner
1 in 3
people seen rough sleeping in 2015 to 2016 had
experience of serving time in prison
Good Work for All
Employers should review what is already in place
in their organisation and what more they could do
to help support and protect employees. This
applies to people they employ directly and those
who are part of their supply chains.
Learning from Business in the Community’s Good
Work for All programmev shows that it’s important
to first get the basics right. The Resolution
Foundation recently found that 23% of people
aged 25 and under were being paid below the
legal minimums set by the Government and that
one in 20 workers received no paid holiday. As of
2018, there are also over 6 million jobs in the UK
which are currently paid below the Living Wage
(as set by the Living Wage Foundation).
Before implementing good work interventions we
recommend employers ensure they are paying
the correct wage or salary, on time; are providing
employees with the right physical environment,
tools and training to do the job; have clear
contracts in place; include sickness and holiday
pay; and treat all employees with respect and
dignity at work.
Beyond this, preventing the risk of homelessness
for your employees can be done by strengthening
the quality of work on offer. Business in the
Community’s Good Work for All action plan
provides a way to review the quality of work and
support offered across three key areas:
• Fair pay and benefits: pay a fair wage and
support employees to manage the costs of
living
• Skills and development: maximise job security
and review the structure and content of roles
• Security and structure: provide accessible
progression pathways and equip employees
with skills
Find out more and download the action plan at
www.bitc.org.uk/goodwork
Mental health and wellbeing
Problems with mental health and wellbeing are
strongly correlated with an increased risk of
homelessness. The increased visibility and
awareness of mental health issues in society has
raised the profile of mental health in the
workplace. With 61% of employees reporting
mental health problems as a result of work, it is
crucial that businesses act to support their
employeesvi.
However, there are lots of things that businesses
can do to support the mental health of their
employees and Business in the Community has
issued the following call to action as part of our
mental health campaign:
• TALK: break the culture of silence that
surrounds mental health by signing the Time to
Change Pledge
• TRAIN: invest in basic mental health literacy for
all employees and first aid training in mental
health to support line manager capability
• TAKE ACTION: implement practical actions
from BITC Mental Health Toolkit for Employers
It is important to understand the intersection
where pay meets wellbeing, especially as money
problems are a major causal factor of
homelessness. Supporting employees to manage
their finances, and to have the capacity to absorb
economic shocks, and pursue longer-term
financial goals can have a huge impact.
Business in the Community’s Workwell model
provides a framework for embedding wellbeing
into workplaces. Visit
https://wellbeing.bitc.org.uk/workwellmodel
Spotlight on Starbucks
Starbucks regularly consults with partners through
its employee survey ‘Partner voice’. In 2015, this
survey showed that because many Starbucks
stores operate in large cities, partners were
struggling with high living costs. At the same time,
the business was looking to address turnover rates.
Responding to these two challenges, Starbucks
began to explore options to help partners manage
their living costs.
This idea was then tested out at a focus group and
with resounding support from partners, Starbucks
launched its Home Sweet Loan initiative in May
2016, becoming the first private sector company to
launch a rental deposit scheme.
Home Sweet Loan offers an interest-free loan to
Starbucks partners working in company-owned
stores who have been with the business for six
months or more. This is to contribute to the costs
of a rental deposit when moving home, or subletting a room. Starbucks always wanted to evolve
and enhance the scheme and after a first-year
review decided to open it up to those partners on a
reduced tenure (previously set at 12 months and
now reduced to 6 months) and those looking to
sub-let rather that rent directly themselves from a
landlord.
Communicating Home Sweet Loans was something
that Starbucks considers to be one of the most
important factors in the success of the programme.
They also ensured that support and information
was available everywhere from store managers to
district managers to the support centre meant the
application process was as easy as possible.
As the scheme continues to grow, the benefits for
Starbucks partners is already beginning to emerge
with an increased retention rate for those who have
taken up the loan.
Now they are planning programmes around
financial wellbeing, bereavement and substance
misuse – all risk factors. Alongside this, the firm
is a Living Wage Foundation employer, helping
to mitigate against the risk of poverty related
homelessness for employees and contractors.
These initiatives are part of Gowling’s broader
programme of culture change within the
organisation where issues that may be subject to
stigma – such as mental health, domestic
violence, or risk of homelessness – can be talked
about within the workplace.
“We have made huge improvements in removing
stigma in mental health, we are less far down the
road with homelessness but we realise that we
are on a journey. One of the biggest things that
helps to change mindsets is employees getting
involved with volunteering, [people] always come
and say ‘oh aren’t they normal’ and we just say
‘yes of course they are – no one is immune from
this stuff!”
“We do openly talk about homelessness, not in
an individual context but in terms of our
community work. We mention it in inductions as
well as something that we actively support.
People are quite comfortable now saying “I’m at
Gowling WLG and we support homelessness
charities” but our goal is to get to a place where
people say “I’m at Gowling WLG, and we support
our people to help prevent them from becoming
homeless”.
Practical steps checklist
Use the checklist overleaf to identify what your
business can do to ‘design out’ homelessness.
Spotlight on Gowling WLG
Gowling WLG describe their work on
homelessness as “a holistic approach – that
incorporates prevention, crisis support, and good
work”. As well as working with the Business in
the Community Ready for Work programme,
providing over 140 work placements since 2004,
Gowling also partners with homelessness
charities to support those in crisis. Now, Gowling
is aiming to prevent homelessness as part of its
wellbeing programme for employees including
support for those affected by mental health issues
and domestic violence. Lorna Gavin, Head of
Diversity, Inclusion, & Corporate Responsibility
explains:
“We have done a lot around mental health and
domestic violence, which are both significant risk
factors for homelessness. Our approach is to
raise awareness, build resilience, and give
support through mental health and domestic
violence champions, our Employee Assistance
Programme and other services. We've learned
that it is critical to create a culture that helps
people feel safe to ask for help to address
problems as they arise and crucially before it
reaches crisis point where someone might end up
losing their home”.
Since implementing their programme of domestic
violence support they have supported more than
15 women, from all business levels, who have
disclosed they are enduring domestic violence –
the support provided by Gowling has allowed
them to stay in employment.
By supporting people who are living with mental
health issues or enduring domestic abuse, the
firm is tackling two of the key risk factors for
people losing their homes.
PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AMONG YOUR EMPLOYEES
PREVENT HELP OFFER PRACTICAL HELP TO TACKLE THE ISSUES
Equip your employees with the knowledge and resources to
understand homelessness and know how best to respond e.g.
signposting to StreetLink and local services.
Support charities tackling homelessness and its causes by
giving financially as part of your responsible business strategy.
Consider what products or services your business may be able
to give in kind either to directly support homeless people or to
provide much-needed resources to charities.
Encourage employees to fundraise, donate and support
alternative giving schemes.
Create strategic charity partnerships to support projects
through skills-based employee volunteering, for example with
offering legal, financial, insurance, marketing and IT expertise.
Offer mental health support through workplace initiatives and
employee assistance programmes.
Make sure you provide good work for all, ensuring job security,
rights and a fair income.
Know how to spot signs of domestic abuse and how to support
employees who may be affected.
Support employees in times of relationship breakdown,
bereavement and trauma.
Recognise the symptoms of substance misuse and put support
in place to help employees address it.
Talk about homelessness in the workplace, raising awareness
to combat stigma around poverty, debt and financial
exclusion.
Offer opportunities and remove barriers for people with
criminal convictions.
Understand the problem of modern slavery and act to stop it in
communities and supply chains.
PREVENT HOMELESSNESS AMONG YOUR EMPLOYEES CREATE PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT IN YOUR BUSINESS
Partner with charities to support their efforts to get people
ready for work, for example through helping with CVs and
interview skills or outlining expectations in the workplace.
Remove barriers in your recruitment process, such as asking
about criminal convictions in the first stage of the process,
requiring unnecessary qualifications, using jargon-filled job
descriptions and requesting comprehensive address histories.
Offer work placements or work experience to give people
direct experience in the workplace, helping them build
confidence and gain an understanding of their strengths and
weaknesses.
Offer jobs through charities or specialist recruiters to
enable you to reach people who may have experienced
homelessness.
Provide a chance for jobseekers to see inside your workplace
to hear from staff members about the jobs they do, their career
pathway and opportunities with your organisation.
Offer apprenticeships to people of all ages, providing a way to
learn on the job and start on a new career pathway.
Ensure your jobs offer fair pay and in-work benefits that would
be of most benefit to people rebuilding their lives.
Ensure you provide job security, certainty of hours and
flexibility to enable employees to plan and fit in their outside
commitments.
Make training and development available to all your
employees, including those working part-time or shifts, and
offer clear career progression pathways.
Assess people’s needs to help them transition into employment
from a period of homelessness and provide the necessary
support to help them sustain work which could include
advance on wages, travel loans, or work clothing.
CREATE PATHWAYS
PRACTICAL HELP
While prevention is perhaps the most effective
way businesses can work to design out
homelessness, there is a long way to go before
homelessness is no longer an issue for business
and society. Partnerships with charities and
support organisations are a powerful way for
businesses to provide practical help and support
to those most in need. Businesses can offer
skills-based volunteering, charity partnerships,
employee fundraising, and in-kind donations.
They can also educate and inform their
employees about homelessness so that
employees can make sure people experiencing
homelessness can get the support they need.
Colleagues from Deloitte’s Manchester Real
Estate office were then able to step in to help
Depaul UK to secure an affordable location for
the new service, close to the centre of
Manchester, as well as advising on the
implementation of an impact measurement
framework. Simone Newman, Area Director for
the North, Depaul UK, adds: “We moved into St
Peters around 18 months ago, the young people
have really made it their own with a mural wall,
and furniture they have made alongside the staff
team. This is a safe space for young people to
come and meet each other and get advice and
support from the staff as well as somewhere they
can spend time, have a brew and just ‘be’. As well
as the young people, the staff have settled into
the office space, with our Greater Manchester
Nightstop, Young People’s Programme Team
and Family Mediation workers based here. We
still can’t believe we managed to find such a
great location, well, how Deloitte managed to
help us find it! It has made such a difference to
our profile in the city and we will be eternally
grateful to Deloitte.”
“We work with organisations to understand what
support is going to have the most impact.” says
Nicola Weir, Director of Responsible Business,
Deloitte.
“The vast range of skills of the Deloitte workforce
allow us to support a number of social
enterprises and charity partners to build skills
and pathways to employment. We recently
added eight social enterprise partners to our
Deloitte pioneers programme, including Social
Bite and Change Please, who both provide
employment opportunities and support services
for homeless people, as well as our existing
partnerships with Depaul UK and 1625
Independent People.”
Spotlight on Deloitte
Deloitte UK’s One Million Futures initiative was
launched in June 2016 to help a million people get
to where they want to be through access to
education and employment.
Much of the impact delivered is through over 60
partnerships across the UK with schools, charities
and social enterprises. These relationships are led
and managed by Deloitte employees who volunteer
their time to make a positive difference in the
communities in which they live and work. Some of
these partnerships are with organisations that
provide practical help to the homeless sector.
One of the One Million Futures charity partnerships
is with national homeless charity Depaul UK which
wanted to expand its Nightstop service into new
regions. Deloitte was able to provide pro bono
services and harness its skilled workforce to support
Depaul UK beyond fundraising alone. A data
science team ran a heat-mapping exercise to
identify Manchester as the area most in need, which
in turn helped them to secure vital government
funding for the project.
Another partnership was developed in Bristol with
1625 Independent People. Again, Deloitte was
able to offer support to help expand the charity’s
services. This included over £96,000 of pro bono
support including an indirect Tax Review, advice
on Gift Aid, a GDPR readiness assessment as
well as providing advice on impact reporting, VAT
and on implementing a new HR system. Jamie
Gill, Partnerships Director, 1625 Independent
People said: “The support of the local Bristol
Deloitte team has made a significant difference,
not only in their dedicated and ambitious
fundraising (though hugely important!) but in the
way they have championed our work, generated
innovative ideas and working hard with us to
understand our charity, the impact we make and
how the pro-bono support can genuinely support
this.”
These strategic charity partnerships have proved
to be hugely impactful. Since launching in 2016,
Deloitte’s One Million Futures Programme has
already impacted over 890,000 individuals.
Charity partnerships
If a business wants to support people who have
experienced or are experiencing homelessness,
working with a charity or support organisation
enables them to tap into specialist knowledge that
can have a real impact. While ad hoc support –
whether through volunteering, fundraising, or
donations – will always be welcome, strategic
relationships enable long-term impact.
Charitable income can be crucial to services for
homeless people, and of enormous value in going
beyond what may be commissioned from
government. Ideally financial giving will be based
on an informed relationship, knowing what is
needed and why; has expectations attached that
are proportionate, is part of an ongoing
commitment.
Research into corporate charity partnerships has
highlighted the following key challenges which
should be considered:
• Establishing an equal relationship: traditional
models create a power imbalance as the
corporate is grant giver and charity is
beneficiary which can lead to charities overpromising or delivering services which don’t
meet their needs or mission. Both sides should
invest time into understanding what the other
has to offer
• Thinking beyond CSR: charities wanted their
relationships with businesses to move beyond
engagement with CSR teams and provide
effective support to other corporate functions
• Designing effective volunteering: charities
prefer skilled volunteering on an ongoing basis
and stated that they had problems offering this
as an attractive proposition to businesses
• Involving more partners: businesses and
charities both stated that they wanted to
collaborate more widely in order to achieve
greater social impact. The challenges
associated with this can be overcome through
effective communication, appointing a lead
organisation, and pooling funds for more
resources.
• Measuring your impact: making sure
measurements and targets are proportional and
focused on outcomes rather than outputs;
measurement should also reflect the equal
partnership and businesses should provide
measurements as well as the charitiesvii.
This evidence matches Business in the
Community’s own guidance on developing
effective partnerships which advises that
businesses should set objectives early, undertake
proper research into which charity to partner with,
and ensure good communication, senior support
and time allocated for impact measurement have
all been secured.
This includes a project to build 239 new homes
near its HQ in Swindon, setting up a new team to
lobby for changes in the private rental sector, and
a £22 million community grants programme
aimed at supporting local solutions to the housing
crisis. It also continues to support housing and
homelessness charity Shelter, whom it’s been
partnered with since 2001.
In the last couple of years, over £4.2 million of
Community Grants have been given to more than
100 local housing projects which have been
driven by Regional Community Boards made up
of members, employees, and local housing
experts. Despite the big ambitions, Kirsty says
that local needs are crucial – “it needs to be
relatable, so do things locally first so that it
reflects the need in the area. This generates more
interest and needs of the community”.
Skills-based volunteering
Businesses contain diverse skillsets which can be
used to support charities strategically and skillsbased volunteering is the most valuable kind of
volunteering you can offer. Companies have
identified clear benefits in developing focussed
skills-based volunteering programmes with
regards to staff retention, recruitment of high
calibre graduates, skills development and
employee training opportunitiesviii.
“I didn’t have much work
experience, so it was all new to
me – but I knew it was an
opportunity to learn…I had a
buddy who went out of her way
to help me.” – BITC programme
participant
Spotlight on Nationwide
When Nationwide Building Society wanted to
refocus their social investment strategy, they went
directly to their members to ask what the issues
that mattered most to them were. Housing came
up again and again, so that became the focus.
Kirsty Hall, Social Investment Manager at
Nationwide notes how this strategy fits with their
history:
“It is very much part of our core purpose –
Nationwide was founded for people that couldn’t
buy homes and we are now one of the biggest
mortgage providers in the UK. It is so closely
linked to what we do as a business so it made
perfect sense really.”
One of the issues that frequently arose for
Nationwide staff was finding rough sleepers in
branch doorways or fire exits, and staff did not
know how to help. A partnership was formed with
homeless charity St Mungo’s to develop a
package of guidance and training which could be
delivered for branch staff to help support and
signpost to rough sleepers. After an initial pilot in
Bournemouth, the training has now been rolled
out nationally to over 500 employees.
This project links with HomelessWise, which is a
product offered by St Mungo’s to help businesses
become more informed and aware of how they
can support people sleeping rough and how to
signpost to local services.
“This was very much about trying to prevent that
first night out”, Kirsty says. “HomelessWise was
developed so that businesses can work together
to help rough sleepers get the support they need.”
As well as equipping frontline staff, Nationwide is
trialing innovative practices to prevent
homelessness.
Giving in the workplace
Charities are closest to the issues they are set up
to address, which means that one of the most
effective ways to support their work is to give
money. This includes raising money as well as
collecting items charities may need, such as
clothing or basic food items for shelters and
kitchens. Businesses can give their employees a
choice in how they contribute – some employees
may not have the time, confidence, or desire to
take part in skills-based volunteering, so having
the option to donate or fundraise gives people
more choice. There are different ways in which
businesses can make donations.
Payroll Giving
Payroll giving is a tax-free way for employees to
make a regular donation to causes they care
about through their pay. It's simple to set up and
is an excellent way to support your employees’
charitable giving. As donations are made before
tax, your employee’s donations will go further. For
example, a £5 donation will only cost your
employee £4 in real terms as charities will be
getting the other £1 instead of the taxman.
To set up a scheme, contact one of the approved
Payroll Giving Agencies below who will act as the
liaison between your business and the charities
your staff support to pass donations from their
gross salary to their chosen charities.
• Charities Aid Foundation (CAF)
• Charitable Giving
• Charities Trust
Spotlight on Tabor House
Birmingham closed its emergency night shelter
called The Trinity many years ago and yet rough
sleeping in the city has increased dramatically in
recent years. Subsequently, local businessmen
joined forces to help open the new emergency night
shelter Tabor House in Digbeth in September 2017.
Phil Yates, Managing Director of EH Smith
(Builders Merchants) Ltd, Bill Friel, Chairman of
Friel Construction, Michael Lambe, Managing
Director of Lambe Construction and Joe Hudson
CEO of Ibstock PLC worked as part of a
collaborative Management Team involving faith
organisations and outreach team/soup kitchen
organisers to establish Tabor House. The new
night shelter offers refuge for between 10 and 15
clients per night with many able to stay long term to
receive support to help them get back on track.
The businessmen have used their own resources
to assist with funding and refurbishing the building
and even offering permanent accommodation and
employment opportunities. Tabor House is
ultimately run by Father Hudson’s Care who
provide the administrative vehicle and organise
over 100 volunteers to run the shelter which is
crucial to its success. There are now plans to
expand the project further to provide more
emergency beds for more rough sleepers.
Phil Yates says “Our vision is to have four or five
Tabor Houses in Birmingham with other
businesses joining us to contribute. All businesses
surely have a responsibility to give back to their
community.It cannot sit well with business leaders
that we open a superb new Birmingham train
station Grand Central and yet see alarming
numbers of rough sleepers immediately outside!
If more businesses worked together we could have
a huge impact and significantly reduce rough
sleeping in the country’s Second City.”
Match Giving
Match giving schemes are a great way to
encourage staff to take part in fundraising
activities as it shows that your business is behind
them and will help them achieve their goals.
Match giving is where your company makes a
pledge to match any money raised by employees
to help boost their charitable impact.
How you decide to match gifts is completely up to
you so whether it’s a pound for pound match, a
percentage or even a capped amount. Knowing
that your staff can count on you for support will
help them to reach and exceed their fundraising
targets.
In-kind donations
Businesses themselves could have access to
goods or services charities need. This may
include things like computer and IT equipment or
desks the business is replacing. It could also be
more substantial support such as providing office
or meeting space or donating products and
services to be distributed to beneficiaries. For all
in-kind donations, it’s important that they are
fulfilling a genuine need so consulting with charity
partners to find out what would most benefit them
and the people they support is essential.
Alternative giving
Begging can be a contentious issue, causing
concern to members of the public, businesses
and their employees. It is an individual’s choice
whether to give to someone directly however
there are alternative giving schemes to provide
another way to make a difference. Funds are
collected and distributed through homeless
services to provide help to homeless people. For
example, The Big Issue is “an award-winning
magazine offering employment opportunities to
people in poverty”. Buying from a badged vendor
is another way to directly support someone. Other
schemes like Change Into Action,offer a safe and
Spotlight on bigmoose Coffee Co
bigmoose Coffee Co opened its doors in Cardiff
city centre in March 2018 after a successful
crowd-funding campaign.
Run by father and daughter team Jeff and Chloe
Smith, bigmoose has helped people out of
homelessness through employment in the café
and on into other jobs and education.
“From working with people who have been
sleeping rough, to helping people experiencing
mental health issues, we’re offering a highly
supportive route into stable employment. The
long-term commitment we make to helping
people means we’ve had staff that joined us as
we opened who are still working with us 15
months later,” said Jeff.
Responsible businesses around the city buy a
range of products and services from bigmoose
which, in turn, supports their social mission.
Many companies are choosing to use the café to
host their own breakfast or evening events, from
seminars and workshops to staff celebrations and
Christmas parties.
Going a step further, organisations such as the
Office of the Future Generations Commissioner,
Cardiff Tri and Nathaniel Cars have chosen
bigmoose as their charity of the year and host
many of their meetings and events at the café.
Chloe explained: “As a social enterprise, the
support we have from businesses in the city
enables us to expand our work and the impact
we can have.”
secure way for individuals to donate, with funds
going directly to supporting rough sleepers.
Campaigning and volunteering
Individuals may want to do more about the
structural causes of homelessness and there are
a number of ways they can support campaigns
from national and local charities. Employers could
support this through offering paid volunteer days
or allowing groups of employees to share
information about issues and opportunities they
care about.
Business networks
Businesses working together, whether nationally,
locally or sector-by-sector, can have a greater
impact on issues like homelessness than one
business acting alone. Consider joining
organisations such as Business in the
Community, a sector-based programme or your
Business Improvement District to have a
collective impact.
The group recognised that unemployment was a
major issue in the area and as they explored the
interplay between food poverty, lack of
confidence, experience of homelessness and the
need for decent clothing for interviews, they
realised they could do something about it.
They partnered with Birmingham Central
Foodbank and after an initial 6-month pilot
project, Suited for Success became a registered
charity in January 2016 with managing director
Patricia White at the helm.
“Suited for Success came along at the right time”
Patricia says “We knew from running the food
bank that people needed support getting into
employment, so there was a real gap in the
market.”
Having a group of professional services firms on
hand to help was crucial to help ‘Suited for
Success’ move from being a pilot project to a
standalone organisation in its own right.
This included pro bono legal support to acquire
suitable premises, sign the lease, and register as
a charity. The businesses continue to provide pro
bono support to the charity as and when it is
required with two of the original project team now
sitting on their Board of Trustees as well.
Patricia White, now CEO at Suited for Success
remarks how targeted support from businesses
was crucial to their success: “It’s important for
business to find out what the needs are first. For
lots of businesses that want to support
homelessness, they automatically think the only
help needed is to help at soup kitchens – which is
obviously great – but skills based volunteering
and strategic support is so much more useful at
creating long term change.”
Spotlight on Suited for Success
Suited for Success started in 2015 as a CSR
initiative launched by Gowling WLG and other
professional services firms in the West
Midlands. Gowling WLG convened the
programme along with Lloyds Banking Group,
PwC, Deutsche Bank, Shakespeare Martineau,
and Anthony Collins and invited rising talents
from within their business to take part.
Lorna Gavin, Head of Diversity, Inclusion, &
Corporate Responsibility at Gowling WLG talks
about the projects formation, she says: “the goal
was simple – bring together a small group of
young professionals to form a volunteer
consortium and identify a need for a
disadvantaged community or group within the
region. The members had to implement a
scheme to meet that need and deliver a solution
for it”.
PATHWAYS TO EMPLOYMENT
Offering pathways to employment for people who
have experienced homelessness can be as
simple as working with a support organisation to
arrange for your existing employees to volunteer
their support with CV writing.
Many companies go further, working with partners
such as Business in the Community to offer
behind the scenes visits and work placements or
to run bespoke employment programmes to bring
people into their organisations.
Our BITC Employment Framework was initially
developed to support our youth employment work
and has now been broadened out to cover all
excluded groups.
• Inspire is about breaking down barriers
between people who have experienced
homelessness and the workplace. This could be
offering help with CVs and interview techniques,
arranging a behind the scenes visit to your
workplace or offering a work placement. See
our employment programmes and campaigns at
https://www.bitc.org.uk/employment/
• Hire is about removing structural barriers in
your recruitment process such as unnecessary
qualifications, confusing jargon and the criminal
records tick box on application forms. Become a
Ban the Box employer to remove barriers to
work for people who have been homeless who
have a criminal conviction at
https://www.bitc.org.uk/ban-the-box-sign-upform/
• Grow is about offering progression pathways,
training and development. See our skills and
development page at
https://www.bitc.org.uk/employment/
Spotlight on Ready for Work
ADI Group have supported Business in the
Community’s Ready for Work programme for
over 5 years. The programme has evolved over
time and currently works to support those at risk
of homelessness, those who have experienced
homelessness, and people with other barriers to
work. Candidates are supported in their
preparation for work by the partner
organisations and then spend 2-4 weeks on a
work experience placement at ADI Group.
Mari Docker, Group HR & CSR Manager says
“we have now employed 5 [Ready for Work
clients] because their work ethic is incredible. It
is now a part of our standard HR procedure and
we continue to take two placements every
quarter, every year”.
This approach has now also been adopted by
Wesleyan who have signed up for the ‘Ready for
Work’ programme after wanting to be “more
proactive, and less reactive” when it came to
supporting homelessness. To date, Wesleyan
have provided support to various local charities
with everything from fundraising, volunteering
hours, and yearly food drives.
Jess Wilkes-Reading, Corporate Responsibility
Officer at Wesleyan, notes how the decision to
start supporting people at risk of homelessness
into employment was an easy one. “There was no
pushback” she says “It’s such a visible issue in
Birmingham that everyone wants to do something
about it, they just don’t know how. It’s about
making clear to employees that homelessness is
not a choice”.
Since signing up to participate in the programme,
Wesleyan have run a Lunch and Learn to inform
colleagues about who they will be supporting and
have developed two weeks of immersive work
experience and practical support for their clients.
“Don’t overthink it, try it, and then crack on with it”
Jess says, when asked for her top tip for
businesses who want to support this issue. “You
can spend six months writing a proposal when
you could have been having an impact. Also don’t
force employees to get involved – we found it
works best if we are really clear about what is
going on and then give employees a variety of
different ways in which they can support”.
Offer employability support, work
placements or work experience
Businesses of all shapes and sizes can support
people on their pathway to employment. A huge
range of national and local charities, social
enterprises and government schemes need
businesses to work with them to improve
employment outcomes. Businesses can offer staff
volunteers to help with CVs and interview
practice; provide a chance for candidates to see
inside their business or offer valuable experience
in the form of work placements. While work
experience is often thought of as an option for
young people, it can be valuable for anyone trying
to get back into the world of work.
Spotlight on Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS
Trust
‘Live and Work’ was a programme designed in
partnership between Sandwell & West
Birmingham NHS Trust and St Basils, largely in
response to the numbers of young homeless
people who struggled to find affordable
accommodation which enabled them to work.
Assistant Director of Strategic Development, Jim
Pollitt says “when we noticed this and then looked
at our own workforce, I was startled by the lack of
young people, and the lack of diversity – we didn’t
seem to be employing anyone from the local area
or from different social backgrounds, there was
certainly no one that had experienced
homelessness”.
An opportunity was spotted to re-purpose and
refurbish a block of housing previously used as
nurse’s accommodation to house young
apprentices who were at risk of homelessness.
The aim of all parties in the project was to provide
preventative rather than reactive measures. As a
result of various contributions, including a
peppercorn lease, Empty Homes Capital Grant,
pre-Apprenticeship programme funded by Health
Education West Midlands and work carried out at
cost by Keepmoat Regeneration (now Engie) with
contributions from their supply chain, St Basils
have been able to deflate the rent down to £42
per week which allows young people to live in
safe, affordable accommodation without being
reliant on benefits.
The project was highly innovative in that it moved
away from the traditional purchaser/provider
relationship and brought resources together to
optimise outcomes for young people who were at
risk of homelessness.
The collaborative work ethic between St Basils,
Sandwell & West Birmingham NHS Trust, and
Keepmoat (now Engie) was pivotal to the success
of the project. The working group met regularly to
discuss the issues, progress and ensure that the
project did not run over. Jean Templeton, Chief
Executive at St Basils says this of their approach:
“This has only been made possible through a
shared objective to enable young people to live
and work and be benefit free; a whole community
approach, the commitment and contributions of
partners and thanks to funding from Empty
Homes Capital Grant”.
Thanks to the close collaboration between the
three organisations, the project was completed on
time and in budget. The scheme has now
supported over 70 young people who were
homeless or at risk of homelessness to live and
work and be benefit free. The project has yielded
positive results so far with a £14 return to the
public purse for every £1 invested in making the
scheme work. However, whilst the
refurbishments and logistics of the project were
well met, integrating the young people into the
Trust through apprenticeships was not always
smooth sailing.
“We had difficulties internally as well; our
Learning and Development staff and local
managers had to adapt and take on a more
pastoral approach when dealing with some of the
young people.” Jim Pollitt says “We had to
remove some of the barriers which prevented
transformation happening. Recently, a sister said
that one of the young people on the programme
ended up as one of the best healthcare assistants
she’s worked with. It’s a learning experience for
both parties and fundamentally it’s about building
trust – these young people have had bad
experiences so we need to start building that trust
from day one”.
A recent resident of the programme, Christopher
says “Hallam is home for me! I have been guided
to be independent, I’ve gained skills and
confidence. I have a career and I only have to
cross over the road for work, I have saved money
due to the affordable low rent. Living at Hallam is
warm, supportive and I am grateful to St Basils
and the project staff for believing in me”.
Offer apprenticeships to all ages and
jobs through charities or specialist
recruiters
Apprenticeships are no longer just for young
people and can be a good way for people who
are changing careers or getting back into work to
learn on the job. Find out more about employing
an apprentice at www.gov.uk/take-on-anapprentice.
There are also a range of charities, social
enterprises and specialist recruiters who have
candidates actively looking for work. Consider
advertising your vacancies directly through them
or entering a strategic partnership to support their
candidates into roles in your organisation.
“Now I have hope – I
believe in myself again,
and I have dreams for the
future to work at head
office. I’ve been on such a
journey so far.” – BITC
programme participant
ORGANISATIONS THAT CAN HELP
The following are just a small selection of organisations that offer support nationally.
BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY
Business in the Community (BITC)
BITC is the oldest and largest business-led
membership organisation dedicated to
responsible business. Our employment
programmes support some of society's most
disadvantaged people to enter employment, with
business involvement every step of the way.
www.bitc.org.uk | 020 7566 8650
E: Nicola.burton@bitc.org.uk
CRISIS
Crisis is the national charity for homeless people.
They offer one-to-one support, advice and
courses for homeless people in 12 areas across
England, Scotland and Wales through their Crisis
Skylight Centres. Together with homeless people
and Crisis supporters, they campaign for the
changes needed to end homelessness for good.
They also have a ‘Help to Rent’ database which is
a list of local organisations which can help people
to find a private rented tenancy. This can be
accessed at https://tinyurl.com/HelpToRent
crisis.org.uk | 0300 636 1967
E: enquiries@crisis.org.uk
HOMELESS LINK
The national membership charity for
organisations working directly with people who
become homeless in England, Homeless Link
works to make services better and campaign for
policy change that will help end homelessness.
They run a searchable directory of local homeless
services in England:
https://tinyurl.com/HomelessWise
homeless.org.uk | 020 7840 4430
E: info@homelesslink.org.uk
SHELTER
Shelter helps millions of people every year
struggling with bad housing or homelessness
through advice, support and legal services. They
campaign to make sure that, one day, no one will
have to turn to them for help.
shelter.org.uk | 0344 515 2000
E: info@shelter.org.uk
STREETLINK
StreetLink exists to help end rough sleeping by
enabling members of the public to connect people
sleeping rough with the local services that can
support them. Members of the public can use the
service to alert local authorities and
homelessness organisations to people sleeping
rough in their area.
streetlink.org.uk | 0300 500 0914
LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Local councils have a duty to help people who are
homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to stay
in their home or find accommodation. They may
also have a duty to house people.
Shelter has comprehensive guidance which can
be accessed here: http://tiny.cc/CouncilGuidance
WMCA HOMELESSNESS TASKFORCE
The task force aims to prevent accommodation
crises, wherever possible, through universal and
targeted prevention, to intervene quickly and
effectively with crisis prevention and relief, and to
ensure the best pathway to recovery, enabling
people to move on to a settled home.
E: homelessness@wmca.org.uk
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to thank all the businesses and charities who supported the creation of this guide including
the busineses who attended the events, took part in phone interviews, attended workshops, and provided
case studies.