Employing people with lived experience

We have been fundraising to provide an opportunity for someone with personal experience of homelessness to work with us for a year. We are very happy to say we have now reached our target, and are starting the recruitment process!

Grow traineesWe will employ a GROW  Trainee for a year, covering a living wage salary plus expenses. They will work with us at Street Support Network, helping us connect and support more people experiencing homelessness, frontline workers, organisations, businesses and citizens.

During this time they will also gain valuable skills and knowledge from the organisations we connect with including Barnabus, Coffee4Craig, Booth Centre and many more. We will use our network to help them find longer time employment after the placement ends.

Having personal experience of homelessness, they will provide an invaluable link to people currently experiencing homelessness across the region, and help us all to deepen our understanding of what is needed.

About GROW trainees

GROW stands for ‘Getting Real Opportunities of Work’ . The trainee will be supported and mentored by Shelter, to help them build their confidence and knowledge. To hear what previous GROW trainees say about the experience, watch the video below:

Our Supporters

Our friends at Dentsu Aegis Network recently completed the Manchester Run raising nearly £8k towards the total target. Thank you!

Manchester Beer week also raised money for us through their Beer Art auction. Thank you!

And we are extremely grateful to the Oglesby Foundation for donating the final £10k we needed to make this dream a reality! It is amazing what can be achieved if we all work together and focus on what is needed.

Can you help?

Can you donate or do something to raise money to help us give this opportunity to someone with experience of homelessness, and to support this mission across Greater Manchester? Please get in touch with us to discuss options. We are a not for profit organisation waiting for our official charity status, hence why fundraising was through Shelter.

Using our network and links to digital agencies and social enterprises, we hope this placement will be a stepping stone to a career for this person.

Our longer term vision is for Street Support Network to be run by and for people experiencing homelessness. A GROW trainee is a first step. Can you help us make it happen?

#EndHomelessnessMCR