The initiative, which guarantees living wage employment for each person, will provide wrap around support for both the employer and employee.
As part of the programme, BaxterStorey has committed to employing a third of all its staff within the Social Bite cafes through the Job First programme, as well as exploring further partnership opportunities to open more Social Bite cafes within the UK.
Data in London shows that between April and June this year, the number of people sleeping on the streets increased by 25%, making Social Bite’s ‘Jobs First’ initiative even more timely.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, chief executive and co-founder of Social Bite, said: “Social Bite started life nine years ago by offering jobs in a small café to people who had experienced homelessness and over that time we have seen the power of employment to change lives.
“At a time when the UK is facing a serious labour shortage, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with major employers to deliver a program of scale throughout the UK that can act as a blueprint for how we can provide employment opportunities for homeless and marginalised people.”
Over the past four years, Social Bite has supported 34 people who experienced homelessness into employment.
George Watson kickstarted the programme, taking on his role with hospitality provider BaxterStorey which supplies Royal Bank’s Gogarburn headquarters in Edinburgh where Social Bite recently opened a café.
Caroline Bacigalupo, operations manager at BaxterStorey, added: “Jobs First is a fantastic programme and we’re proud to be working with Social Bite to offer training and employment opportunities to people who were previously homeless.
“We’re all thrilled to welcome George on board and can’t wait to support other Jobs First employees reach their full potential as the programme develops.”