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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/nov/28/crowdfunding-help-homeless-people-jobs
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| Alex Stephany: How crowdfunding can create empathy with homeless people | Alex Stephany: How crowdfunding can create empathy with homeless people |
| (4 months later) | |
| “Growing up in London I always felt guilty about homelessness and remember seeing people on the street and being horrified,” says Alex Stephany. “Now, homelessness has risen 60% since 2011 and it’s impossible not to see the evidence of that. I’d buy someone a coffee and chat to them, donate to charities but always felt powerless and wondered what I could do to help someone long-term, not just immediately.” | “Growing up in London I always felt guilty about homelessness and remember seeing people on the street and being horrified,” says Alex Stephany. “Now, homelessness has risen 60% since 2011 and it’s impossible not to see the evidence of that. I’d buy someone a coffee and chat to them, donate to charities but always felt powerless and wondered what I could do to help someone long-term, not just immediately.” |
| This month the 36-year-old tech entrepreneur launched a crowdfunding platform, Beam, to allow people to donate money online that will support homeless people to get the training and qualifications they need to do the job they want. | This month the 36-year-old tech entrepreneur launched a crowdfunding platform, Beam, to allow people to donate money online that will support homeless people to get the training and qualifications they need to do the job they want. |
| Council proposes £1,000 fines for homeless people sleeping in tents | |
| To develop the idea for Beam, Stephany spent more than a year meeting staff and managers at homelessness charities including Thames Reach, Crisis, Centrepoint and Connexions. “I said, if this won’t work or if it’s not needed, just tell me, but they were keen so we developed the idea,” he says. | To develop the idea for Beam, Stephany spent more than a year meeting staff and managers at homelessness charities including Thames Reach, Crisis, Centrepoint and Connexions. “I said, if this won’t work or if it’s not needed, just tell me, but they were keen so we developed the idea,” he says. |
| The Beam website lists profiles of homeless people, including how they came to be homeless, the skills and training they need funding for, and an itemised list of what the fundraising target will be spent on. | The Beam website lists profiles of homeless people, including how they came to be homeless, the skills and training they need funding for, and an itemised list of what the fundraising target will be spent on. |
| Tony and Leo have both had their campaigns fully funded since Beam’s soft launch in September with startup funding from the mayor of London and innovation charity Nesta. Tony, who has two sons to support, has received £4,300 and is scheduled to complete his City and Guilds level 3 electrical installations diploma and work experience to become a fully qualified electrician by next September. Leo became homeless after a relationship breakdown and a stay in psychiatric care. Now in supported housing, he has worked one day a week in a school since March, and is on a course paid for by his £725 crowdfunding cash to train as a classroom assistant for children with special needs. He will begin full-time work in January. | Tony and Leo have both had their campaigns fully funded since Beam’s soft launch in September with startup funding from the mayor of London and innovation charity Nesta. Tony, who has two sons to support, has received £4,300 and is scheduled to complete his City and Guilds level 3 electrical installations diploma and work experience to become a fully qualified electrician by next September. Leo became homeless after a relationship breakdown and a stay in psychiatric care. Now in supported housing, he has worked one day a week in a school since March, and is on a course paid for by his £725 crowdfunding cash to train as a classroom assistant for children with special needs. He will begin full-time work in January. |
| Marilyn is halfway through her funding target of £2,977. She cared for both her parents when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her father suffered a stroke. After their deaths, Marilyn spiralled into alcohol and prescription drug abuse, and developed depression as a result of previous domestic violence. She plans to train as a cab driver with the funds paying for car rental, licences, insurance and the necessary tests. She hopes to eventually run her own cab firm for people in wheelchairs and with mobility issues. | Marilyn is halfway through her funding target of £2,977. She cared for both her parents when her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and her father suffered a stroke. After their deaths, Marilyn spiralled into alcohol and prescription drug abuse, and developed depression as a result of previous domestic violence. She plans to train as a cab driver with the funds paying for car rental, licences, insurance and the necessary tests. She hopes to eventually run her own cab firm for people in wheelchairs and with mobility issues. |
| Crowdfunding “members” as the homeless people are known, are in temporary accommodation or supported living rather than rough sleepers. They are referred by their key workers. Then, in collaboration with Beam, they identify the jobs or profession they want to do, work out what training, equipment and money they need to fulfil their aims, before the crowdfunding begins. A set number of funding drives are live on the website at any one time, with contingency funds built into totals in case of crisis or unforeseen overheads. Donors can decide to back an individual, or contribute to the Beam central pot which can top up funding drives where needed. “One big barrier for women in particular is childcare,” Stephany says. “And there are a lot of single mothers in temporary accommodation, and childcare is expensive. “So we can include that in funding drives, so people can train and work.” | Crowdfunding “members” as the homeless people are known, are in temporary accommodation or supported living rather than rough sleepers. They are referred by their key workers. Then, in collaboration with Beam, they identify the jobs or profession they want to do, work out what training, equipment and money they need to fulfil their aims, before the crowdfunding begins. A set number of funding drives are live on the website at any one time, with contingency funds built into totals in case of crisis or unforeseen overheads. Donors can decide to back an individual, or contribute to the Beam central pot which can top up funding drives where needed. “One big barrier for women in particular is childcare,” Stephany says. “And there are a lot of single mothers in temporary accommodation, and childcare is expensive. “So we can include that in funding drives, so people can train and work.” |
| Is there a danger that some people don’t reach their targets while others steam ahead? “No: we’ve planned it so there are only a certain number of live campaigns at any one time, and we encourage people to donate monthly as well as letting people contribute to individuals,” says Stephany. “The plan is that we’ll build up regular donors through direct debits, which will contribute to funding targets.” | Is there a danger that some people don’t reach their targets while others steam ahead? “No: we’ve planned it so there are only a certain number of live campaigns at any one time, and we encourage people to donate monthly as well as letting people contribute to individuals,” says Stephany. “The plan is that we’ll build up regular donors through direct debits, which will contribute to funding targets.” |
| Once members have completed their training and are in work, they have the option of donating to Beam, to “pay forward”, as he says, the help they have received. He insists that there is “no obligation” to pay any of the money back. “We only suggest they donate part of it, but so far all of them have been adamant they want to pay it all back once they are on their feet.” | Once members have completed their training and are in work, they have the option of donating to Beam, to “pay forward”, as he says, the help they have received. He insists that there is “no obligation” to pay any of the money back. “We only suggest they donate part of it, but so far all of them have been adamant they want to pay it all back once they are on their feet.” |
| Despite now working in tech, Stephany was a late adopter, only purchasing a smartphone in 2011: “It was like the scene in Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta opens the briefcase and stares awestruck. I realised these machines would change everything: how we work, how we talk to each other, how we form relationships, access services – there was just so much opportunity.” The following year, he joined a startup, JustPark, becoming chief executive and running a £3.5m equity crowdfunding campaign that gave him the idea for Beam. | Despite now working in tech, Stephany was a late adopter, only purchasing a smartphone in 2011: “It was like the scene in Pulp Fiction, where John Travolta opens the briefcase and stares awestruck. I realised these machines would change everything: how we work, how we talk to each other, how we form relationships, access services – there was just so much opportunity.” The following year, he joined a startup, JustPark, becoming chief executive and running a £3.5m equity crowdfunding campaign that gave him the idea for Beam. |
| How I became homeless: three people's stories | |
| Critics of crowdfunding have warned that it is in danger of acting in lieu of traditional services, akin to David Cameron’s piecemeal and ad hoc “big society” drive, papering over cracks in social security. Stephany argues that Beam isn’t a replacement, but offers something different. “The bigger aim is to educate people about homelessness and make people feel invested in solving both hidden and street homelessness,” he says. “The money given by the public to cancer charities absolutely dwarfs the amount given to homelessness: that’s because so many more people feel a personal connection to cancer, everyone knows someone who has had cancer. If more people understand how you become homeless, and how difficult it is to regain your life, hopefully it will create a groundswell of pressure to fix the crisis. If you read these stories, if you know you’ve helped someone achieve something substantial obviously you care more, you feel empathy and you build an emotional connection.” | Critics of crowdfunding have warned that it is in danger of acting in lieu of traditional services, akin to David Cameron’s piecemeal and ad hoc “big society” drive, papering over cracks in social security. Stephany argues that Beam isn’t a replacement, but offers something different. “The bigger aim is to educate people about homelessness and make people feel invested in solving both hidden and street homelessness,” he says. “The money given by the public to cancer charities absolutely dwarfs the amount given to homelessness: that’s because so many more people feel a personal connection to cancer, everyone knows someone who has had cancer. If more people understand how you become homeless, and how difficult it is to regain your life, hopefully it will create a groundswell of pressure to fix the crisis. If you read these stories, if you know you’ve helped someone achieve something substantial obviously you care more, you feel empathy and you build an emotional connection.” |
| So far there are nine members on the site and over 450 donors, and Stephany says the emotional connection works both ways. “When I first met Tony he was so shy, and didn’t think it would work at all. He asked me: ‘Why would anyone help me?’ And we funded his training, textbooks and equipment really quickly, and all the donors left messages for him, saying they’d been homeless themselves, or they really hoped he’d reach his target and get qualified. And 136 people funded his training, and some people helped organise work experience for him. Now he’s bouncing around with confidence, his voice is totally different. And it’s such a big boost: knowing that 136 strangers cared enough to help you, personally.” | So far there are nine members on the site and over 450 donors, and Stephany says the emotional connection works both ways. “When I first met Tony he was so shy, and didn’t think it would work at all. He asked me: ‘Why would anyone help me?’ And we funded his training, textbooks and equipment really quickly, and all the donors left messages for him, saying they’d been homeless themselves, or they really hoped he’d reach his target and get qualified. And 136 people funded his training, and some people helped organise work experience for him. Now he’s bouncing around with confidence, his voice is totally different. And it’s such a big boost: knowing that 136 strangers cared enough to help you, personally.” |
| Curriculum vitae | Curriculum vitae |
| Age: 36. | Age: 36. |
| Family: Unmarried, no children. | Family: Unmarried, no children. |
| Lives: North London. | Lives: North London. |
| Education: Haberdashers Aske’s School, London; University of Oxford, English language and literature. | Education: Haberdashers Aske’s School, London; University of Oxford, English language and literature. |
| Career: 2017-present: founder and CEO, Beam; 2017: Anthemis fellowship; 2016-17: entrepreneur-in-residence; Rainmaking; 2012-15: chief operating officer and CEO, Just Park; 2009-2010: author and consultant; 2007-09: trainee lawyer. | Career: 2017-present: founder and CEO, Beam; 2017: Anthemis fellowship; 2016-17: entrepreneur-in-residence; Rainmaking; 2012-15: chief operating officer and CEO, Just Park; 2009-2010: author and consultant; 2007-09: trainee lawyer. |
| Books: The Business of Sharing, published 2014. | Books: The Business of Sharing, published 2014. |
| Public life: board adviser, Spacehive (civic crowdfunding platform), volunteering at homelessness charities. | Public life: board adviser, Spacehive (civic crowdfunding platform), volunteering at homelessness charities. |
| Interests: guitar, film. | Interests: guitar, film. |
| Homelessness | Homelessness |
| The Society interview | The Society interview |
| Crowdfunding | Crowdfunding |
| Social exclusion | Social exclusion |
| Housing | Housing |
| Poverty | Poverty |
| Vocational education | Vocational education |
| interviews | interviews |
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