Press Release
Bright Spark! Salvation Army encourages innovation in homeless sector
16 June 2008
Salvation Army PAT testing scheme a winner in social enterprise competition to spark innovation in the homeless sector .
The Salvation Army has won £47,500 to develop a portable appliance testing (PAT) social enterprise scheme after a nationwide competition to encourage innovation within the homeless sector.
After an eight-month selection process The Salvation Army was one of 15 organisations to receive a share of £500,000 through 'Spark', a government-backed competition to find the best new or existing social enterprises that help prevent homelessness in the UK.
The Salvation Army will use the Spark prize, matched with money from its own funds, to establish a commercial PAT testing social enterprise business to train and employ people who have experienced homelessness and who are ready to develop skills to return to the work place.
Initially operated from one of The Salvation Army's 57 homeless centres in the UK and Republic of Ireland, within the first three years the PAT scheme hopes to train 72 clients who will conduct more than 280,000 tests on electrical equipment each year. During the same period, The Salvation Army expects 48 of the trainees to move on to full employment.
The Salvation Army team behind the competition bid, comprised of Lieutenant-Colonel Roland Sewell Director of Employment Plus, Major Raelton Gibbs Homelessness Services Officer, and Mr Stephen Mills The Salvation Army's Social Trust accountant, collected a certificate and cheque at an awards ceremony in London on Wednesday 11 June.
On receiving the award Lieutenant-Colonel Roland Sewell said: "Spark has really lived up to its name and has ignited change in the way the homelessness sector engages with homeless people. For The Salvation Army, Spark has given us the opportunity to enter into a new area of work which uses social enterprise to help homeless people into work. It has been a catalyst that should continue to be even more successful in the future. I am looking forward to seeing The Salvation Army developing that success.
"Our experience in 57 homeless programmes around the UK and the Republic of Ireland has shown that over 70 per cent of homeless people want to work, but have many issues to tackle before being able to gain and sustain employment. The Salvation Army already offers services to our clients that address psycho-social and basic skills issues but we can now enhance their employability with the practical learning and application of these skills within a PAT testing business."
In March 2008 The Salvation Army was one of 15 finalists chosen from 85 entrants to go through a 'dragon's den' style selection process with ideas pitched to a panel of social entrepreneurs and experts from the homelessness sector.
Major Raelton Gibbs, who designed the original concept of a PAT testing social enterprise scheme and who made the original application to the Spark competition, said: "Social enterprise is the way forward within the homelessness sector to develop best practice in partnership with residents, to help them to get back into the community."
Congratulating the finalists on their innovation and commitment, Housing Minister Iain Wright MP, said: "The scheme shows what can be achieved by people and organisations adopting an enterprising approach to tackling homelessness, giving former homeless people the opportunity to get involved in the workplace to help end the cycle of homelessness. With expert business mentors backing them up along the way, these social enterprises have every chance of flourishing. I want to congratulate all the winners for the impressive range of their ideas and I know they'll make a huge difference to many more people's lives."
The Spark competition is a joint collaboration between Communities and Local Government, The TREES group, the Big Issue Invest, and Eastside Consulting. The contest launched in December 2007, with a nationwide call for innovative social enterprises to help prevent homelessness.
As well as the prize money, the 15 winning organisations in Spark will receive business coaching and mentoring from high-profile social entrepreneurs, including advice from Nigel Kershaw, Chief executive of Big Issue Invest and Timothy Campbell, the winner of the BBC's The Apprentice. There will also be business insights and management support from Spark's corporate partners PricewaterhouseCoopers, Places for People and BT.
PAT testing is a key requirement of health and safety legislation to ensure electronic appliances are safe, and tests are always performed by a qualified assessor.
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