Following expert coaching and advice from BT, the Acumen Community Enterprise Development Trust which works in disadvantaged areas of the North East, managed to beat off strong competition to win £50,000 for its social enterprise, Possibility Place. This innovative venture helps support people who do not have a job or who have low skills to develop skills for life and to move into employment.
The Housing Minister said:
"The scheme shows what can be achieved by people and organisations adopting an enterprising approach to tackling homelessness, giving former homeless people the opportunity to get involved in the workplace, to help end the cycle of homelessness. With expert business mentors backing them up along the way, these social enterprises have every chance of flourishing. I want to congratulate all the winners for the impressive range of their ideas and I know they'll make a huge difference to many more people's lives."
The SPARK initiative was set up by the Department of Communities and Local Government, working in partnership with the TREES Group, Eastside Consulting, and Big Issue Invest, and is about helping homeless organisations to become self-sustaining businesses rather than relying on charitable donations.
As part of the winner's package the social entrepreneurs will gain further business mentoring from high profile entrepreneurs such as Nigel Kershaw from Big Issue Invest and Tim Campbell from the Apprentice. They will also receive expert consulting and management support from the corporate partners PricewaterhouseCoopers, Places for People and BT to ensure that they get the most from the funding to develop their business.
