Every cloud has a silver lining, as the old cliché goes, and the staffing difficulties currently faced by the hospitality industry are no exception. This is a golden opportunity to build on the successes of a number of initiatives across the sector to help the homeless return to or enter the workplace for the first time, benefiting both the individual and the industry while also helping to address one of the country’s most pervasive and persistent social issues. There are currently 320,000 people in the UK who are homeless or in temporary accommodation, according to housing charity Shelter, including between 4,000 and 5,000 sleeping on the streets each night.
The initiatives are widespread. Launched in 2017, Hotel School is a partnership between Jeremy Goring of the Goring hotel in London’s Belgravia and its near neighbour, the Passage Homeless Resource Centre in Victoria, which teaches hospitality skills to homeless and vulnerable people, matches them to sustainable employment, and supports them in their first steps into work.
Original Article by Andy Lynes. Source: The Caterer
