Social housing sector recruitment firm BRC is celebrating its 20th anniversary by partnering with West of England homeless charity Julian House.
BRC, which has offices in Bristol and Cardiff, will support the charity throughout this year by using its knowledge of the recruitment industry to further its ambition to help socially isolated people find work.
The team at BRC’s Bristol base will also support the charity at fundraising events and by raising awareness of its valuable work.
The partnership mirrors one BRC’s Cardiff office has with Welsh homeless charity The Wallich. While Julian House is based in Bath, it operates across the South West, including in Bristol.
Among the projects supported by BRC will be the Julian House Bike Workshops, which operate in Bristol, Bath, Trowbridge and Exeter.
A social enterprise set up 10 years ago, it provides a wide range of opportunities to help vulnerable individuals including volunteering, courses in bike mechanics, one-to-one support with CVs, finding training, work experience and employment and a hub for community support and engagement.
The workshop is running a project to increase its capacity and enable it to refurbish more bikes. This will improve its turnover and earn higher profits – so supporting more individuals back into work.
BRC founder and managing director Paul Howe said understanding the challenges the supported housing sector faces made the partnership with Julian House particularly relevant
“Over the last 20 years we have seen the difference that good training and support have made to our staff and we want to share this knowledge,” he said.
“We see this partnership as a real opportunity to not only raise money but, where needed, help Julian House upskill some of their clients, who might be socially isolated or in need of support, and get them back into work where possible.
“The work that Julian House do every day is remarkable and we are delighted to be partnering with them this year to help them achieve even more.”
Julian House area funding manager Cathy Adcock added: “It is wonderful when any organisation supports their community, but BRC’s support for Julian House in 2019 has the potential to show how a supported housing and service provider and a recruiter in the same field can raise the bar.
“This works from both an awareness raising and fundraising perspective, while also adding value to each other’s organisations in terms of knowledge, training and skills sharing and team working.
“BRC is not just your average recruiter – staff are highly skilled, passionate about the sector and actively work in their community. Where they see a need – they want to help. BRC understand that the people they help to both find staff and jobs are all looking for an opportunity to change lives.”
In 2017, Julian House’s Bike Workshops helped:
- 280 people access the courses, work experience and specialist support
- 160 individuals complete is Build a Bike course and kept the bike they had refurbished.
- 22 individuals secure paid employment
- generate income of £414,000
- Create £554,000 social value through training and employment
Pictured, from left: Alex Mills from Julian House, BRC founder Paul Howe and Julian House area fundraising manager Cathy Adcock
