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Tag: homelessness

June 21, 2018

What is a social enterprise?

What is a social enterprise?

When businesses do more than generate profits.

Big business doesn’t always have to serve shareholders – sometimes they can change the world for the better.

Rather than paying dividends to investors, social enterprises take their profits and reinvest or donate them into projects, ideas or initiatives that create positive social change.

They can be big or small – from coffee shops and cinemas, to pubs and leisure centres, banks and bus companies. They can offer fair pay and working conditions to growers in Africa like Divine Chocolate. They can help improve the lives of Syrian refugees in Turkey through the sale of earrings like We Are One Collective. Or jewellery can also help people with anxiety be welcomed back into the community, just as the creators of Haringey-based Studio 306 do.

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June 12, 2018

Urban Patchwork

Agency on a mission – family-run firm pledges profits for the homeless.

A London estate agency run by a brother and sister is trying something completely now – it pledges to use some of its profits to help the homeless and to introduce a ‘voluntary board‘ to decide how funds should be used.

Urban Patchwork is based near Surrey Quays in south London deals in sales and lettings and promises to promote ethical practices. It says an example of this is minimising fees for tenants ahead of the tenant fee ban next year.

In addition it will use the majority of profits for homeless help, including support for a local homeless charity, the 999 Club in Deptford.

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June 7, 2018

Ithaca Laundry

Athens mobile laundry van set up to help homeless people.

In Athens, where there are an estimated 20,000 homeless people, two young men have turned a van into a mobile street laundrette.

The special van drives through the Greek capital city at night six days a week, with its two washing machines and two drying machines.

Thanos and Fanis started doing this four years ago with the aim of providing some relief for numerous Greeks and immigrants in the city who can’t afford to use a laundrette.

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June 3, 2018

Container Village

Some of the country’s biggest artists are helping to build a container village for the homeless.

Artwork from renowned artists went to auction to raise money for container houses for homeless people in Bristol.

The auction was held online and at Here Bristol in Bath Road to raise money for the co-op Help Bristol’s Homeless. The social enterprise converts shipping containers into homes, transforming them from empty crates into one-room houses. The project, which was started by ex-soldier Jasper Thompson, has been seen dozens of people come through their doors.

Volunteers are currently in the midst of refurbishing a bus and containers in Bedminster to provide more beds.

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May 20, 2018

Orange Sky Laundry

Australians help homeless people with free mobile laundry service.

Orange Sky Laundry is tackling homelessness across Australia by offering the world’s first free mobile laundry service – exclusively for those without a home.

What started out as an idea hatched by two 20-year-old friends from Brisbane has now grown to a service that covers 19 regions across Australia, with specially designed vans equipped with solar power panels, onboard water storage and a colour co-ordination system to keep track of belongings.

Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett started out in 2014, installing a couple of washing machines and dryers in the back of an old van, visiting parks in Brisbane, and offering to wash and dry clothes for free.

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May 15, 2018

Foodinate partnership

Manchester-based social venture announces partnership with Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs’ Company to tackle food poverty.

A Manchester-based not-for-profit organisation has teamed up with GG Events and Catering, owned by footballing legends Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs, to tackle the issue of food poverty.

By forming partnerships with restaurants and food-giving charities, Foodinate ensures that every delicious Foodinate-selected drink or meal you enjoy with their partners results in a meal for a local person in need.

The new partnership means that for every single person attending an event booked through GG Events and Catering, Foodinate will ensure a hot, nourishing meal is provided to a local person in need at no extra cost. The packages are available at all GG Events and Catering locations including Hotel Football, National Football Museum, Manchester Catherdral and Salford City FC.

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May 3, 2018

Street Soccer Scotland

Street Soccer Scotland unveils £5m football complex for the homeless.

The Change Centre in Edinburgh will provide 32 en-suite bedrooms and a self-development programme if plans are approved.

While Wembley is up for sale and the Scottish FA dithers over deciding between Murrayfield and Hampden Park, Street Soccer Scotland founder David Duke is planning his own home of football.

Plans for the £5m The Change Centre were unveiled on April 23 – the Edinburgh football complex will feature 32 en-suite bedrooms to house homeless people as well as a café and a community hub with six football pitches if approved by the city council.

Under the motto “the journey home starts here”, the complex aims to offer three essential things that Duke believes will help turn lives around – security, relationships and purpose – with 30 jobs created.

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April 19, 2018

Big Issue cashless

A West Bridgford Big Issue vendor has boosted sales with a £33 card reader.

Paul Snape is “selling more than he ever has”.

Forward-thinking Big Issue vendor Paul Snape has seen his sales skyrocket after accepting cashless payments with a card reader.

The 47-year-old, who sells the magazine outside M&S in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, opted to spend £33 of his magazine proceeds on the card reader from Amazon.com after being inspired by vendor Robin Fabian.

Bristol vendor Robin hit the headlines across the UK after offering his regulars the chance to go cashless with the device that “paid for itself in one day”.

And the same has been true for long-time vendor Paul, who insists that he is “selling more than he ever has” since picking up the device on April 6.

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April 15, 2018

Little Man Coffee

Cardiff Big Issue vendors get a coffee break with barista training.

Little Man Coffee helps Welsh vendors escape the daily grind.

Big Issue vendors swapped magazines for macchiatos recently after undergoing barista training in a Cardiff coffee shop.

Two sellers gave it the beans in Cardiff’s Little Man Coffee to work on alternative skills that will put them in good stead with future employers.

Resident barista Laura Bradford gave insight into crafting the perfect cup of coffee by tasking vendors with grinding beans and working on machines as well as providing skilful final flourishes like making patterns in cream. She is planning to provide one-on-one sessions with other vendors in the future.

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February 28, 2018

Fairtrade Fortnight

Pay fair for Fairtrade Fortnight with The Big Issue Shop.

As Fairtrade’s flagship event kicks off between February 26 to March 11, you can get involved with a collection of coffee, chocolate and even footballs available in our online store.

Fairtrade Fortnight shines a light on the farmers and workers behind our food and products.

Behind every sip of coffee, every kick of a football or every bite of a chocolate block, there is a person who toiled and grafted to get it to your doorstep.

For two weeks every year, running from February 26 to March 11 in 2018, the focus is on them and how when trade is fair, it can make the world a better place. Buying products bearing the Fairtrade mark ensures that farmers and growers get their fair share of the pay to improve their lives and the lives of their communities as well as closing the door to exploitation.

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