Green shoots of hope for homeless as social enterprise helps transform lives

The business model for many charities in the UK has long been that of charity shops. These traditionally fusty and somewhat dour places have been the mainstay of fundraising for large charities such as Oxfam and Scope for many years. Although they have undergone major rebranding initiatives in the last ten years; with Oxfam leading the way creating 'boutique' style stores; some charities are now seeing the potential in new forms of social enterprise. A homeless charity in Scotland has become an exemplar for these new initiatives.

The independent charity Edinburgh Cyrenians has been operating since 1968. It works with homeless and vulnerable people in Edinburgh, West Lothian and Falkirk areas, which have high levels of homelessness. With an estimated 210,000 children and 490,000 adults living in relative poverty, (where their household income is less than 60 per cent of the Scots average) times are certainly tough for those in Scotland at the base of the economic pyramid. However thanks to Edinburgh Cyrenians homeless people are being given renewed hope, along with very tangible skills for a brighter future. The innovative charity realized the potential of incorporating social enterprise into their programme, not simply as a way to increase funds, but also as a means to provide training and skills development for the homeless people that they work with. The charity took time to consider various business ideas and finally indentified three which that they believed had the most potential.

The first initiative, Cyrenians Farm, sells and markets produce from the charity's own farm. As well as selling seasonal fruit, vegetables and dairy products Cyrenians Farm also sells secondary produce such as jams, honey and chutney. The second commercial venture by the charity is Good Food. This enterprise concentrates on the preparation and cooking of food for commercial markets. Commercial activities include cookery classes, workshops, study tours and conferences on healthy and independent living. The third initiative is CORE (Cyrenians Organics Recycling Enterprise), which takes the local produce and healthy eating initiative to its logical conclusion. CORE offers an environmentally friendly solution to food and catering waste recycling to businesses and large organizations. Through these initiatives Edinburgh Cyrenians' service users have an opportunity to gain real business experience. During the paid placements workers have the opportunity to learn skills such as plant propagation, crop maintenance, harvesting, packing and marketing of vegetables as well as professional food preparation, customer care and service. Both the charity's workers and its clients are excited by the introduction of the enterprises. "What we've enjoyed is learning not only what a social enterprise is, but using that to turn dreams in our heads into plans that will work and move forward." Sam and Jeanie, Good Food Team.

Edinburgh Cyrenians has a turnover in the region of 1.5 million, helped considerably by its courageous step into the commercial sector. The charity has won awards for volunteer involvement and creative engagement with the business community. Besides the funds generated by its commercial ventures the charity benefits greatly from being able to provide skills and training on its doorstep. This shows a truly sustainable approach to charitable work through social enterprise. Users are not simply given support but are given the means by which to grow better lives.

Photo Credit: Andrew Dent