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Fifteen organisations chosen to compete for Spark prize fund

A bicycle recycling project and a flat pack furniture workshop that provide employment to homeless people are among the fifteen organisations that have been chosen to compete in the Spark social enterprise competition in May, Junior Housing Minister Iain Wright announced today. 

The finalists will pitch their business ideas to a panel of leading entrepreneurs, including Nigel Kershaw, Big Issue Invest chief executive, at an event in May. The best organisations win a share of a £500,000 prize fund provided by Communities and Local Government, mentoring and a two-day 'enterprise makeover'.

All fifteen finalists will receive coaching to help them develop their social enterprises to help more homeless people into training, volunteering and jobs.

The announcement follows the launch in December of the £1.5 million competition which challenged the homelessness sector to go beyond standard homeless services like providing food and accommodation to offer more training and employment opportunities for homeless people.

The Spark competition is part of a major refocusing of Government homelessness strategy, challenging hostels and charities to promote greater entrepreneurial spirit and give homeless people opportunities to develop the skills and confidence and move onto sustained independent living.  Homeless services have an important role in providing food and shelter to society's most vulnerable but should also be a springboard to jobs and opportunity.

National statistics released today show that new cases of homelessness recorded by local authorities have fallen by 12 per cent in comparison to the same period last year to 15,240.  The figures show a continued reduction in the number of households in temporary accommodation down to 79,500 - a reduction of 11 per cent compared to the same time last year and the first time they have dipped below 80,000 since 1991.

Iain Wright said:

"We've made great progress reducing homelessness but we need to see a greater emphasis on providing routes into training and employment for homeless people.

"The Spark competition has lit a fire in the homelessness sector.  The quality of applications shows there is a real appetite for change and it's been tough to choose the best fifteen.  The finalists will now start a ten month journey to develop their businesses and their examples will show how social enterprise can help end the ‘revolving door' of persistent long term homelessness."

Nigel Kershaw, Big Issue Invest chief executive, said:

"We know we can make a difference to homeless people's lives by investing in businesses that create financial and social opportunity. We want to champion the best 15 social enterprises to help them increase their impact and this is the first exciting step in that process."

John Montague, The TREES Group chief executive, said:

"The competition among applicants has been fierce and it was a very difficult decision to decide which 15 went through to the next round. It is inspiring to see how Spark has ignited social enterprise through the homelessness sector."

The competition is part of a major new partnership between Government, the private and third sectors. It aims to increase the number of social enterprises in the homelessness sector to give homeless people opportunities to enter training, volunteering and employment opportunities as well as provide a sustainable source of income for homeless services. The TREES Group, Big Issue Invest, Eastside Consulting, PricewaterhouseCoopers and property and regeneration group Places for People are working alongside the Department to deliver Spark. 

The fifteen Spark finalists are:

  • Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust works in disadvantaged areas of the North East. Through its social enterprise, Possibility Place, people who do not have a job or who have low skills are supported to develop skills for life and to move into employment.
  • Travelling Light, the social enterprise of Bradford-based Assisi House Project makes it possible for people from excluded groups to make music and radio, providing them with opportunities to develop new skills in music and IT whilst exploring their creativity.
  • Bikeworks, a London-based community cycle organisation, plans to start up a project in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and London Cycle Campaign to recycle stolen/ recovered bikes, reduce landfill and offer training and employment to homeless people.
  • Brent Homeless User Group (Bhug), a user-led organisation in North West London runs a social enterprise called Community Insight which provides training and employment around customer research, surveys and mystery shopping to development service users' skills, confidence and employment opportunities.
  • Brighton Housing Trust plans to roll-out its two-year-old "Dine!" catering project to establish it as a commercial catering service for Brighton and Hove events, providing training and employment opportunities for people who have been homeless.
  • Chester and District Housing Trust is preparing to launch a social enterprise initiative called NEST to work with large local employers and to teach homeless people skills in painting and decorating and basic maintenance and construction.
  • Gilead Foundations' social enterprise operations centre around an organic Devon farm, which currently provides accommodation, rehabilitation, training and employment for 25 men, women and children, who would otherwise be homeless.
  • Noah Enterprise provides a practical, empowering social enterprise and caring welfare service to homeless, marginalised and excluded people in Luton based around furniture restoration and white good refurbishment.
  • Novas Scarman Group's mission is to transform people's lives through arts, enterprise and community support. It has plans well underway to develop a talent agency called Can Do People, which will teach skills to people who have been homeless and place them in work.
  • Plymouth Access to Housing (Path) believes that every person has a right to decent, affordable accommodation. It plans to establish a not-for-profit letting agency in Plymouth, charging landlords competitive fees and creating an easier route into privately-rented housing for clients.
  • The people who work at Leicester-based social enterprise Stride (the trading arm of SHARP Trading (Leicester) Ltd) assemble, recycle, renovate, sell and deliver furniture. The enterprise aims to help disadvantaged people improve their chances in life by offering training and placements in a working environment.
  • Plymouth-based Shekinah Mission teaches bricklaying, plastering and art and craft skills to socially-disadvantaged and excluded adults to develop their skills and help them back into employment, accommodation and independent living, leading to full participation in society.
  • StreetShine is a professional shoe care service that provides employment and training opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness or suffered disadvantage in the job market and are in the process of rebuilding their lives.
  • The Salvation Army plans to set up a social enterprise that will train and employ people who have experienced homelessness and are at a point of developing skills to return to the work place. The initiative will be centred around portable appliance testing.
  • The Society of St James' social enterprise, Jamie's Computers, provides training and learning opportunities to those who have a history of homelessness, recent unemployment, mental health difficulties and substance misuse. Its services include IT disposal, computer sales, IT services and IT training.

The scheme follows the success of the Department's £160 million investment into improving hostels which has funded social enterprises like the Crisis Café in Newcastle which is giving homeless people a route into catering.