Coffee orders at Southend Hospital help the homeless get back on their feet
An innovative way of helping to tackle homelessness has launched at Southend Hospital this week.
Sustainable coffee brand Change Please is now available in its staff café.
Hospital staff can now buy and enjoy ethically-sourced coffee knowing that 100% of the profits from the new coffee provider will go towards tackling homelessness in our community, due to a partnership with foodservice company Compass Group UK and Ireland.
The social enterprise, Change Please, will use profits raised from the sale of their coffee products to recruit and train local homeless people to become baristas.
Training will take place in Southend Hospital’s staff café and will be provided by staff at the Speciality Coffee Association accredited training centre. As well as developing their skills, trainees will also be provided with a living wage, housing support and future job opportunities.
Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust – which runs Southend Hospital – is undertaking the initiative as part of its Anchor Programme. The programme focuses on investing back into the community to reduce environmental damage and provide new employment opportunities for its local population.
Manoj Chohan, Head of Sustainability at Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust, said: “As a Trust, we are continually looking for new and innovative ways to support our local communities, improve social inclusion and reduce inequalities. By teaming up with the award-winning social enterprise, Change Please we can help equip vulnerable individuals with the skills and experience they need to have a fresh start at life.”
Founder of Change Please, Cemal Ezel, said: “Since Change Please was established, we have helped over 300 people experiencing homelessness start a career and turn their life around. We feel extremely proud to have accomplished this and are thrilled to have formed this brand new partnership with Southend Hospital. Together we will achieve real, positive change, helping to rebuild the lives of local people who have been excluded from the jobs market for too long.”
Russell Blake, MD Hospitals and Senior Living, Compass Group UK & Ireland said: “Change Please is a pioneering social enterprise and we’re excited to be able to support it and offer a great service to people visiting or working in Southend Hospital. Compass Group UK & Ireland is part of the Buy Social Corporate Challenge – committing to supporting social enterprises and increasing spend with them. Compass has worked with Change Please for several years, helping 75 people out of homelessness – so we’re thrilled to continue this partnership working in a NHS hospital.”
The Trust hopes that Change Please coffee will soon be available across all of its sites.