About the Organisation
www.changeplease.org/pages/driving-for-change
Change Please are an award-winning coffee company with a difference; a social enterprise supporting people out of homelessness through life-changing coffee. Launched in 2015 with one coffee cart in Covent Garden, we have grown dramatically with millions of coffees sold, dozens of new sites and brilliant partners supporting our mission.
We provide training, employment paying the Living Wage and support with housing, personal finances, therapy and crucially, onward employment to help people experiencing homelessness move forward. 100% of the profits of our award-winning coffee goes towards ending homelessness.
In August 2021, we launched a new initiative, Driving for Change. Backed by sponsors HSBC UK, Colgate and subsponsor Mastercard, Driving for Change is an all-in-one direct intervention service. Delivered on specially fitted out double decker buses, we are able to provide those experiencing homelessness with mobile access to free GP consultations, haircuts, dental care, digital and financial literacy training, support opening a bank account where appropriate, employment support, shower facilities, therapy assessments, and essential everyday items.
This one-stop solution is a vital offering that will give people experiencing homelessness pathways to potentially lifesaving key services that centralise support. Driving for Change work closely with other organisations delivering services to homeless people, signposting their own service users to them. Through consistently providing a safe space of support in the community, they are able to build trust with some of the most vulnerable amongst homeless people. And, they have an open access policy, with appropriate safeguarding in place, that enables them to take their services direct to people in real need regardless of their specific circumstances or personal history.
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There are currently two double decker buses delivering this service, with a third in the pipeline that will have a specific focus on supporting the mental health needs of homeless and vulnerable women and young people.
The buses have been parked at the Change Please training academy in Peckham. However, this is far from an ideal location and their presence is detrimental to the café business that they run there, through reducing access for customers. The already limited space will not be able to accommodate the introduction of a third bus, so they have now reached a point where they need to find new secure parking for all three double decker buses.
Driving for Change have their own insurance in place and are open to occupying space on a meanwhile use basis with a minimum notice period built in.
There are three main requirements for the space:
- A secure piece of land or building large enough to house the three double decker buses
- Access to electricity and water
- 24 hour parking availability with access available around 8am and 6pm
Driving for Change would be very grateful for any offers of parking space (free or low cost) and/or introductions to property owners who may be able to assist.
Please note that no service users will access the buses at the parking site.
Timeline
ASAP