Shoosmiths Foundation donates £90,000 to tackle youth homelessness and unemployment
November, 2021 - Milton Keynes, England
Leading UK law firm Shoosmiths has agreed to donate funds to End Youth Homelessness and Street League charities, awarding a total of £90,000 through the Shoosmiths Foundation.
The Shoosmiths Foundation was launched earlier this year to build upon the law firm’s existing community investment programme, which supports local charity partners through staff fundraising and firm donations, staff volunteering and the provision of legal advice pro bono. The £90,000 grants support the firm’s strategic aim to advance social mobility, in line with the Shoosmiths social mobility action plan. The Shoosmiths Foundation’s other funding priorities are to advance a carbon net zero UK and promote access to justice in the UK.
End Youth Homelessness (EYH) is a national movement of local charities that have joined forces to tackle the UK’s youth homelessness crisis. It provides a national platform to raise awareness, share experience and generate voluntary income. Its member charities supported over 40,000 homeless young people aged 16-25 last year.
Faye Edmondson, End Youth Homelessness head of fundraising, said: “Nearly 60% of homeless young people are not in education, employment or training when they arrive at their EYH member charity, yet we know that securing a job is the surest route out of homelessness. EYH’s Employability Fund provides 1:1 support to help the young people we work with finish school and get qualifications or a job. We are very grateful to Shoosmiths for such generous support.”
Funding from the Shoosmiths Foundation will prove that ‘talent can come from anywhere’. It will:
- provide 2,174 hours of employability support from employability coaches
- help circa 41 young people back into EET
Street League’s vision is a society in which all young people have the opportunity of secure employment and a brighter future. Using sport and education, they help young people into work.
Joe Flack, Street League corporate partnerships manager, said: “The Shoosmiths Foundation together with Street League will support 53 unemployed young people aged 16-24 living in some of the most deprived communities across Leeds and Sheffield, to gain qualifications they need to secure meaningful job opportunities. This project is a critical intervention at a crucial time, ensuring those already facing disadvantage are not left even further behind.
Simon Boss, Shoosmiths’ chief executive, said: “This funding is provided with the aim of creating fairer and wider opportunities for young people facing homelessness and unemployment across the UK. The Shoosmiths Foundation was established as a grant making body to help address societal issues, to empower sustainable change and to improve the lives of the people and the environment in the UK. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic these donations are more vital than ever.
“End Youth Homelessness and Street League both reflect the firm’s priority to improve social mobility, and it is an honour to work alongside them as part of our long-standing community commitments.”
Further information about the Shoosmiths Foundation can be found here.
