Case studies - Spark 2009 Finalists
The 15 Winner were whittled down from 139 applicants in Spark. They were chosen for the innovative and entrepreneurial ways they supported people to return to stable accommodation and employment.
Follow the progress of the fifteen by signing up to Spark’s email updates.
 Aspire Oxford
Aspire Oxford offers bespoke support to people who have been homeless, in order to help them break down the barriers to obtaining sustainable, independent employment. Through work placement opportunities and paid community work, Aspire’s service users are empowered to move on from previously unstable situations.
The Aspire social enterprise plans to develop a market garden, providing work placement opportunities for the service users.
 Spark Fabrications & Framing
Spark Fabrications and Framing is based in Southampton and will deliver bespoke steel fabrications and framing services for domestic and commercial markets. Trading will generate income, giving homeless people opportunities for training which support independence and achieve a positive social impact.
 Beyond Boyle
Beyond Boyle is an exciting hospitality business. Its social enterprise arm provides inspirational training opportunities and high-quality support services to help people who have experienced homelessness. They provide a series of training opportunities to engage trainees around food, in order to rebuild self esteem and restart their lives.
 Bike It (Your Homes Newcastle)
Bike It offers flexible training to young people who are at risk of or who have been homeless. The aim of Bike It will be to support Your Homes Newcaslte’s younger service users in gaining the necessary skills and knowledge to repair and maintain bikes.
 Blue Sky (Groundworks)
Blue Sky is a social enterprise that is focused on helping ex-offenders to find work. It does this by winning commercial landscape management contracts, and engaging its service users to deliver the service.
The business is able to provide people who might not otherwise find work with a 6 month employment placement, and support to build forward from that.
 Eco-Central Landscape
(Community Links)
Eco-Central Landscapes is a landscape maintenance business, staffed by and providing training, for people without secure housing. It enables organisations to buy a great service at a competitive price, whilst knowing they are having a positive social and environmental impact.
 First Fruit Warehouse
First Fruit Warehousing is committed to breaking the vicious cycle of ‘No Job No Home’ and is a social enterprise set up to provide job opportunities and training provision for people who are unemployed, homeless and /or with a history of drug and alcohol abuse.
The various warehousing activities involved in recycling unwanted office furniture provide opportunities to develop real skills and job opportunities for our service users.
 Furniture Rental Scheme
(The Resettlement Agency)
The Furniture Rental Scheme is a community reuse social enterprise providing disadvantaged people with refurnished household items at low cost through rentals.
It is one of a group of social enterprises the resettlement agency runs to help service-users back into employment and to re-stabilise their lives.
 House of St Barnabas in Soho
The House of St Barnabas is developing a unique Life Skills Programme for homeless and vulnerable people through the imaginative enterprising use of its beautiful Grade 1 listed building, chapel and garden in the heart of Soho.
Their amazing venue offers the opportunity for service users to be involved with all aspects of running events and helping renovate the building itself.
 Liverpool STRIDE
Liverpool STRIDE is a new type of furniture social enterprise, buying ex-catalogue furniture to train and develop people who are homeless or long term unemployed, in the making and repairing of flat pack and catalogue furniture.
The social enterprise will be a similar model to Leicester Stride (a Spark winner last year), who will also help mentor Liverpool in their development and growth.
 Matt 25
(Adullam Homes Housing Association)
The ‘Matt25’ social enterprise operates an employment agency to the supported Housing and Housing Association Sector by training and employing service users. The social enterprise covers an area from Birmingham right through to Blackburn in the North West.
 Paint It (Framework Housing Association)
Paint It is a painting and decorating social enterprise that offers homeless people an opportunity to attain vocational skills and experience of working life, in order to see them into permanent work or build their own business.
The workshop offers pre employment training packages including skills training, personal development and employability.
 Refurnish Devon
(Devon Furniture Forum)
Refurnish Devon will provide support and training to homeless individuals to enable them to increase their sense of self-esteem and well being whilst helping other people on low income to obtain low cost furniture and appliances.
 Wigan Housing Solutions
Wigan Housing Solutions provides help and support to service users looking to find accommodation in which they will be able to sustain residency. They offer training workshops to empower their clients so they understand the responsibilities of tenancy and feel supported going forward to find employment and stability in their lives.
 Winter Willow
(Winter Comfort)
Winter Willow is based on the cultivation, management and harvest of willow. It will work by designing, producing, marketing and retailing willow craft products including bicycle baskets, garden sculpture and eco-coffins.
Winter Willow will provide opportunities for occupation, training and employment for those with experience of homelessness or who are vulnerably housed.
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