I am really proud to announce that today, on World Homelessness Day, Henry Boot have signed the Homelessness Covenant.
The covenant, co-created by our charity partner Crisis and the Department for Work and Pensions, asks its signatory businesses to commit to the following 3 actions:
1. To provide employment and training opportunities for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
2. To adopt fairer employment and recruitment policies and practices to support people affected by homelessness.
3. To help end homelessness in local communities through fundraising, raising awareness, partnerships and volunteering.
This is such an important step for our business and a key milestone in our charitable commitment to support the work of Crisis and those experiencing or affected by homelessness. When we commenced our partnership with Crisis at the start of this year, we were clear in our ambition that we did not simply want to raise funds (although this remains important); we wanted to commit to our role as a business to help end homelessness and provide support to those it affects.
So, what will the covenant mean for us? Firstly, we will strengthen and evolve our commitment to sharing our expertise and time to provide employability and training support to those affected or at risk of becoming affected by homelessness. In alignment with our approach to creating social value for the communities we serve; this means we will work in partnership with local authorities and community stakeholders to identify those who would benefit from the support of ourselves and our supply chain. This support may be direct through training, workshops, and mentoring, and indirect through support provided to charities working to get people into work and enjoying fulfilling career opportunities.
We will review our own recruitment policies and procedures to make sure that they are accessible and open and do not inadvertently create barriers for those seeking work. Just as importantly, we will consider the steps we can offer before application for employment; how can we help people build their confidence, develop their skills, and feel comfortable applying for work with us or our partners.
And lastly, we will be flag bearers for the vital role businesses can play in ending homelessness. Whilst we stand in awe of the incredible work done by charities, community organisations, and local government in trying to tackle this issue, we remain convinced that businesses can also support long-term change. We will be an advocate for Crisis and our other partners in this space and will encourage our people and partners to utilise their expertise, resources and innovation to make a difference!
The mission to end homelessness is a big one and is certainly complex. We hope that, by signing the covenant today, we are demonstrating our commitment to lend our commitment to it.
