Labre's Hope - Ending Homelessness Sustainably

Aim

We want to end homelessness through employment in handcrafting luxury cosmetics, career coaching and classroom-based wellbeing sessions.

The Problem

There are currently 270,000 people experiencing homelessness in the UK and forecast suggest another 66,000 by 2024. There is a misconception that a job is the be all and end all for those who have experienced homelessness but the truth is that this is only part of the solution. There are three key statistics which highlight the deeper issues within homelessness, and explain why we need to address this glaring problem as urgently as possible.

• People who have experienced homelessness are twice as likely to experience mental ill health compared to those who haven’t.
• 42% of employers will dismiss an employee upon discovering their homelessness.
• The cost of rental payments has gone up by 40% over the last decade whereas money going into our pockets has only increased by an average of 9.2%. This is demonstrably unsustainable, and shows that the rates of homelessness in the UK can only increase.

As a result,  Labre’s Hope was established in February 2022 in partnership with Crisis and other homelessness charities. 

What we do

Labre’s Hope is a three-tiered solution to homelessness, that has never been seen before.

We employ people experiencing homelessness or those at risk of it to handcraft luxury, ethical self-care products such as soaps and candles. On top of this, our beneficiaries receive weekly sessions in  career coaching, and mental health support  which are delivered by Crisis UK among other partner organisations. As a partnership, we came together to help people access the resources and support they need to rediscover the greatness that was always within them so they can handcraft their own success. We are the pathway out of homelessness designed to support those with unique needs to escape a difficult period within their lives and regain stability.

Our success so far

Since launching in February 2022, we have supported 28 people in accessing employment, mental health support and career coaching and by the end of the year, we will have supported more than 43 people. We have trained our beneficiaries to produce an extensive range of products and launched our first range of soaps and candles in August 2022.

We have given our beneficiaries valuable experiences which included sharing their journeys to a crowd of over 1000 people at a national social enterprise event in London where they received a standing ovation. This empowered them to gain self-confidence while inspiring others to join the cause in ending homelessness. Alongside this, we have helped our beneficiaries access activities such as canoeing, rock climbing and cooking to support their wellbeing. 

Career development

We have delivered over 140 hours of employment support which includes paid training tailored to the individual's career goals. This allows them to build valuable professional skills which will improve future job prospects. These include:

The reasons behind offering employment support for our beneficiaries is that we want them to discover their potentials. We understand soap-making isn't a dream career for everyone, so for these people, we're here to provide financial stability, whilst they gather the necessary tools and experience they need to move up in the World!

If you would like to hear more from one of our employment coaches from the South Yorkshire Housing Association, check out Sanjay’s video below.

Mental Health Support

We have successfully delivered over 90 hours of group mental health support in a classroom format which includes two hours a week where our beneficiaries can unwind and learn how to best manage their own wellbeing outside of work. Topics on Wellbeing Wednesdays include:

  If you would like to hear more from one of our wellbeing coaches, check out Kellie's video below.

How will we use these funds?

We want to support more people to escape homelessness and provide more training opportunities so they can be equipped with the resources they need to reach their dream career. We will therefore allocate all funding raised to upscale our recruitment, and reach out to more people experiencing homelessness, or those on a recent journey out of it. We  Want to provide them with salaries in excess of the Living Wage, whilst they access employment support from SYHA, Rotherham Council, and Wellbeing support from Crisis UK. 

These funds will also be used to continue to pay the salaries of our current beneficiaries, who are on a journey out of homelessness, and help them reintegrate back into mainstream society, where they can thrive and build futures!

Thank you for your support and have a lovely day!

This project successfully funded on 9th February 2023