Meet The Social Enterprise Combating Homelessness Through Coffee

On average, homeless people die at the age of 43, nearly half of the general life expectancy in the UK. They are almost 17 times more likely to experience violence and over 9 times more prone to taking their own lives compared to the general population.

He returned to the UK with the conviction that the devastating homelessness situation can be tackled by leveraging the exponential growth in coffee sales contrasted with a significant skills gap in the industry.

Change Please trains homeless people to become fully-fledged baristas, and upon completion of their training, finds them employment, restoring their independence and dignity in the process. Unlike purely commercially focused businesses, all of Change Please’s profits are reinvested into their training program.

The social enterprise also offers support with bank accounts, housing and counseling, and each trainee is assigned a mentor who was previously homeless as well.

A robust social and environmental purpose permeates every aspect of Change Please’ s operations, from sourcing coffee beans from communities that support the marginalized to using 100% biodegradable coffee cups and having all their coffee grounds upcycled into biofuel and biochemicals.

Since starting out in 2015, the social venture has grown exponentially into operating 15 coffee vans and sites across London, and securing partnerships with businesses such as UBS or Barclays to supply coffee in their offices. Ezel’s unstoppable drive is palpable as he details plans to open nationwide and internationally in the near future.

With the support of the international law firm Latham & Watkins, Change Please has recently set up a legal entity in the US to expand their presence across the pond. They have also received funding to open their first training academy in the UK, which will allow them to finance the education of 12 homeless people per month with plans to launch three more in the US.

In addition, the social venture sells three award-winning coffee blends to the UK supermarket Sainsbury’s — each blend is crafted and named after one of their beneficiaries, and is currently stocked in close to 400 Sainsbury’s outlets.

Ezel attributes the rapid success of Change Please to three main factors: the support of a diverse advisory board, including bankers, lawyers and marketers, a genuine interest in addressing the issue of homelessness from consumers and brands alike, and most importantly, product quality.

“The fact that we have never compromised on coffee quality, whilst remaining ethical, means people buy our product for the great coffee, and the fact that we have a strong social mission is an additional bonus.

Adan was a trained chef before divorce led him into depression and homelessness. While on the streets, Adan experienced people trying to set him on fire and stealing from his pockets whilst sleeping rough. One day, he witnessed a woman throw herself off the bridge and without hesitation, he dived into the freezing November waters of the Thames to save her.

He received the George Cross medal for bravery from the Queen, but continued to live on the streets until he was eventually recruited by Change Please, providing him with shelter and work after 12 years of homelessness.

With an advanced regulatory framework that offers bespoke legal structures and tax incentives to social enterprises and their funders, the UK is leading the world in social entrepreneurship, and social ventures such as Change Please might be the reason why.

Related posts:

In last summer holiday , Me and my friends made a plan to visit Mount Everest at Nepal , so it was my job to do all the research work for our safe and comfortable travel . As I started my research …

The real estate industry has been booming in recent years, especially in the U.S. So much so in fact, that some are beginning to worry that we may well be on the precipice of a potential market crash…

What does your family call you? What does your friends call you? If you could no longer see a color, what color would it be? When was the last time you confronted a fear? How often do your…