Funding news - 09/03/2010
Boris' Helping Hand For Homeless
Mayor of London Boris Johnson has revealed a new fund aimed at helping London’s homeless return to work.
The £900,000 Homeless to Work programme will fund a series of outreach teams working directly with homeless people to help them gain the skills necessary to return to the workplace. The scheme aims to assist up to 600 people find homes and employment.
The Mayor said:
“A skilled work force is the backbone of London’s economic success and the key to our competitive edge. In these tough economic times it is absolutely essential that we maintain this valuable commodity and ensure that everyone, especially those who are all too often considered ‘unemployable’, can gain the skills they need to get a job.
“Losing your home does not mean losing your talent or ambition and this new project will play an important part in helping hundreds of London’s homeless get back on track and get back to work.”
The scheme will be delivered through the London Development Agency (LDA) and will complement the work of the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in getting addicts, ex-offenders and the homeless back to work.
Director of learning and skills at the LDA, Brendan Loughran, said:
“This joint approach is allowing us to bring together the expertise and knowledge of both the LDA and the DWP to target a part of society that is often neglected by mainstream systems.
“Homeless Londoners represent a particularly hard to reach group of workless, many have drug or alcohol related problems or mental health issues.”
“The one to one support they’ll get from Homeless to Work will provide them with important tools to help them overcome many of the barriers to getting off the streets and into safe, secure accommodation and sustainable jobs.”
Source: London Development Agency, 05/03/2010
