Bradford & Bingley is running a ground-breaking project in West Yorkshire to help get homeless people back into work.
The financial services provider is working with the Business Action on Homelessness (BAOH) programme, a partnership between employers, charities and the government, which aims to break the cycle of no job, no home.
The partnership’s Ready for Work scheme gives homeless people the opportunity to re-enter the job market, gain professional training and work experience – and benefit from ongoing job coaching. Eight former homeless people have joined the firm as a result of the project since February.
According to Bradford & Bingley’s annual corporate social responsibility report, the company will fund the £500,000 Ready for Work scheme in Bradford for the next three years. It has appointed two full-time managers to run the project. Staff will work with local businesses to identify potential work placements.
“This is the first time BAOH has run in a city with a private-sector company taking the lead, so it will be interesting to see if this is a possible blueprint for other companies,” the BAOH report stated.
B&B group HR director Ian Anderson has been given executive responsibility for the company’s CSR programme and holds accountability for its budget.
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