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Our homeless clients often face a complex mix of mental/physical health, addiction, chaotic lives and struggle to access mainstream help. Our clients often leave school with few or no qualifications and struggle with literacy, numeracy and digital skills with most being unemployed for some time. The following data shows the scale of the issue for homeless people: -Only around 6% are employed with many reporting barriers to training, volunteering or working including ill health, lack of skills or discrimination (Homeless Link, 2018). -52% needed literacy support to find work (St Mungos, 2018). -60% have low levels of or no qualifications putting over 80% of jobs out of reach (Crisis, 2016).
Our Employability & Progression (E&P) work helps achieve people's potential via learning/training/volunteering/employment. 1.Needs assessments help establish clients': Learning/employability barriers, needs and past training/work experience. Homeless situation, physical/mental health and addiction issues to access support. 2.Bespoke plans help clients access: Digital Skills & Financial Health courses. CV writing & interview technique support. Qualifications in Food Hygiene, Construction and CCTV security, for example. In-house training via our 10-week Catering/Gardening schemes (with work experience). 3.Impact: Clients develop confidence, team work, communication skills, social networks.
We have delivered learning, training and employability programmes for over 12 years and have a sound understanding of our clients’ needs/challenges. Over the last four full years (minus much of the pandemic) we supported 495 clients via our E&P work. Through our day centre near Brick Lane we have the facilities, including IT suite, and ability to offer numerous qualifications and work experience to help clients realise their potential and develop independent lives. Local partners are critical in supporting our clients and include: -Corporate firms like Reed Smith & Sir Robert McAlpine who help deliver some of our work. -Homeless Hostels and Local Authority teams who refer clients to us.
Employability & Progression Coordinator | £2,000 |
Accreditation costs for Food Hygiene and CSCS Cards for labouring roles etc | £500 |
Core costs in support of management of the Employability & Progression project | £500 |
60 people
Through our day centre we will support around 60 of the most complex, vulnerable and disadvantaged homeless people in East/Central London to access our learning, training and employability work giving them the best chance of future success. The impact for clients will be: -60 receive individual needs assessments and bespoke action plans exploring their wider support and employability needs. -12 complete the Learn My Way Digital Skills course. -10 complete the Learn My Way Financial Health course. -12 complete our In-House ‘Working On It’ work readiness course. -4 complete our accredited Peer Mentor training. -25 CVs completed for individual clients helping around 10 of them secure interviews. -10 accreditations completed including Level 2 Food Hygiene. -8 access volunteering, work placements or employment. -90% report feeling better informed about their options and where to seek help. -80% report feeling less lonely and isolated due to joining our community of support.
The wider impact of our E&P project is shown via case studies & client quotes: Mario: “I’m so grateful for your help. I’m really looking forward to completing my CCTV security course and starting work. Once I’ve saved up some money I want to visit my family in America as I haven’t seen them for years”. Joe: Joe's hopes for the future include a permanent home and starting his own Up-Cycling business. Joe said: “There are many charities out there but Providence Row is ‘the real thing’ with dedicated team and hardworking people”. Anna: "I was struggling, but now I'm very proud to have completed the programme. It was fun and my Peer Mentor colleagues were great. I will use what I learnt in the future. My aim is to study some courses to improve my skills, get a job and to be better financially”. Nathan: “I’m so glad that I've done the gardening and catering trainee courses. I really enjoyed them". With support, Nathan passed his English & Maths GCSEs and wanted to go on to do A-Levels.