In a call for vital funds, Only A Pavement Away says it can place hundreds more people facing homelessness back into employment every year with increased funding from the sector.
Last month, UK Hospitality noted the job gap in the sector currently stands at 174,000 causing significant concern for the industry, with nearly half (45%) of all operators having to cut service hours or offering.
Greg Mangham, the charity’s chief executive, said “After two years of disrupted trading it is so frustrating to witness the staffing crisis now constraining the recovery of the industry I have dedicated most of my working life to.
“Meanwhile, the number of people facing homelessness in the UK has risen by 50% over the last five years. Both of these issues are unacceptable and Only A Pavement Away is determined to help.
“We work with people facing homelessness, prison leavers and veterans to facilitate training and development, as well as offering additional financial support to those who need it to overcome any barriers to employment so that every candidate is ‘job ready’.
“These people represent an untapped talent pool, and have already proven impactful for employers with 50% of candidates still in the role we placed them in.
“Put simply, this approach works, both for employers and in helping people facing homelessness. I can place another 500 people into work if we secure additional investment to appoint three more relationship managers, but we need the support of the hospitality industry to do this.”
More than 100 hospitality operators, including many of the UK’s biggest operators, already use Only A Pavement Away to recruit new talent. The charity’s hospitality Jobs Board - which is free of charge - has been developed to help streamline and alleviate the burden of the processes that employers go through in employing people who are struggling to reconnect with society.
Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, says; “We are proud to have partnered with Only a Pavement Away since 2018 and so far have helped more than 100 prison leavers back into work with the support of the charity.
“Its work has never been more vital in getting people back into employment as well as supporting the sector with labour shortages.”