Local charity, Paper Cup Project have announced plans to help support getting homeless people in Liverpool back in work.
The charity plans to open a new coffee shop in the city, which will work directly with the homeless community and local training providers. The coffee shop will offer training opportunities to homeless or vulnerably housed people in Liverpool, in an effort to build skills and confidence to get them back into the workplace.
For the past four years, the charity has supported rough sleepers in Liverpool through their group of outreach volunteers. The team offer food, drinks, clothes and support, in an effort to get people inside. Earlier this year the charity was named as a finalist in The Echo Awards for their work.
Charity founder Michelle Langan said:
“Paper Cup Coffee is the next stage of our journey, and will offer an opportunity to our homeless that doesn’t currently exist in Liverpool. For someone who has been homeless for months or even years, the thought of returning to the workplace can be terrifying. We will be there every step of the way to give people the support that they need.
A coffee shop is a perfect way to ease someone back in, as it is an opportunity to chat every day to different people and build up confidence. We also hope that the venture will challenge people’s stereotypes towards homeless people. There is still a lot of stigma around homelessness, and we work hard as a charity to tackle this. COVID has meant that we have had to rethink how we work, but our team are all really excited about bringing this idea to life.”
The charity is being supported by Homeless Link to develop the coffee shop, working alongside another 20 organisations across the country who work in the homeless sector. As part of the plans, they are currently crowdfunding via the Aviva Community Fund to raise money for equipment and premises.
If you would like to donate to the project you can find the link here: www.avivacommunityfund.co.uk/paper-cup-coffee
For more information on the charity visit their website: www.papercupproject.org
