In London, England, 'Change Please' provides a solution for employing homeless youth in the form of a traveling coffee truck. The baristas serving up Brits' morning coffees each earn a living wage, making £9.15 an hour. The coffee is good quality, with beans from Tanzania and Rwanda, and more affordable than corporate coffee chains, making it an easy choice.
No previous experience is needed, simply a positive attitude and willingness to learn. Even more incredibly, the company will help employees rent properties by essentially co-signing to create trust with the landlord. The founder of 'Big Issue' magazine funds the project, the same magazine also supporting homeless employment through magazine sales positions.
This coffee truck project doesn't build more homeless shelters, but rather begins a systematic solution for employing the homeless by creating jobs specifically created with them in mind.
Homeless-Run Coffee Trucks
This London Truck Offers Cheap Coffees Served by Homeless Employees
Trend Themes
1. Homeless Employment - Opportunity to innovate by creating more job positions with previously unemployed homeless individuals.
2. Social Enterprise - Opportunity to innovate by combining business with addressing social and environmental issues such as homelessness.
3. Affordable Quality Coffee - Opportunity to innovate by prioritizing quality and affordability with ethically sourced beans to attract customers away from corporate coffee chains.
Industry Implications
1. Food Trucks - Opportunity to innovate by creating more food trucks with employment opportunities and social purpose for previously unemployed individuals.
2. Social Services - Opportunity to innovate by developing more job programs and training for previously unemployed and homeless individuals.
3. Coffee Chains - Opportunity to innovate by exploring new partnerships or internal initiatives that prioritize responsible sourcing and ethical employment practices for underrepresented communities.