Businesses band together to help the homeless get into work

The pilot scheme will provide job opportunities with the ambition of placing 250 people across the region

Greater Manchester businesses have joined a cross-sector group aimed at empowering people who have experienced homelessness to re-enter the workforce.

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Balfour Beatty are among those who have signed up for The Homeless Inclusive Future project.

Set to begin this month it will provide employment opportunities with ambitions of placing 250 people across the region in its pilot.

The project will create a blueprint to be rolled out by businesses across Greater Manchester and will include a matchmaking offer and post-employment support system.

Lauren Coulman, founder of social enterprise Noisy Cricket will be leading the new initiative. She said: “HI Future is a huge passion project for me. With Crisis reporting that 88% of people experiencing homelessness want to find and sustain work opportunities, it is crucial for us to overcome the barriers that businesses face in this area.

“Businesses occupy a unique position from which to create secure and stable futures for the most vulnerable in our society and we are delighted that two of the region’s largest employers are working with us to make this happen.”

The HI Future project will bring together a wide range of businesses, public sector organisations and charities to find workable solutions.

Kelly Singleton, HR director at MAG’s digital technology division, added: “MAG is delighted to be sponsoring this programme. There is a lot of great work taking place across Greater Manchester in this area but this is the most prominent collective effort we’ve seen to date.

“We are always looking to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and this includes breaking down socio-economic barriers, as well as looking at areas such as gender and ethnicity.

“Supporting the communities around our airports is a key focus for MAG and each year we commit a significant amount of time, effort and funding to community projects which really make a difference, like this one.”

Local organisations Mustard Tree, Groundwork in Greater Manchester and The Growth Company will also be bringing their expertise to the HI Future community along with Mooch Ashley from Big Change Manchester, who offers personal insight into homelessness and will ensure the needs of people experiencing homelessness are central to the solution.