Beam supports the homeless into jobs and housing
Growing up in London, it was impossible to ignore the tragedy of homelessness. One of my earliest memories is walking through “Cardboard City” with my Mum, an indelible image of life at the sharp end of society.
Fast forward thirty years, and it’s galling to walk around the back streets of Covent Garden and see the scores of tents pitched in doorways. It’s infuriating that three decades later, things have not only not changed, but according to many statistics become worse.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg of this fixable human tragedy: 300,000 people in the UK live in temporary accommodation, including over 100,000 children.
Even was borne out of the desire to end the inequality caused by the haves and have nots of homeownership. Much like most subjects of inequality, unstable housing disproportionately affects the same groups–the poor, ethnic minorities, and women. At Even, we have the opportunity to change those dynamics and it’s a challenge we are excited to tackle head-on.
Our mission is to end generation rent. But in order to achieve that, we cannot ignore the homeless in our efforts. That’s why we’ve partnered with Beam, who help the homeless into jobs and homes.
Started in 2016 by the brilliant Alex Stephany, Beam has already supported over 500 homeless people into jobs. Beam gives each person a caseworker and removes people’s financial barriers through the pioneering use of crowdfunding that uses an algorithm to ensure every person gets the funding they need. Helping people get into jobs as carers, electricians, and tradespeople, Beam is making a genuine difference and showing just how talented people can be when given a chance.
To celebrate the launch of Even, we are pleased to donate every single successful application fee to Beam.
