Off the Streets and into Work completes merger with Crisis
1 April 2010
Crisis, the national charity for single homeless people and Off the Streets and into Work (OSW) a charity specialising in employment solutions for homeless people, today announced that following merger discussions over the last three months all of OSW's undertakings will be transferred to Crisis today (01/04/10)
The merger will significantly enhance the work of Crisis in the employment and skills field and will ensure that a number of highly successful projects run by OSW over the last few years will continue and indeed expand.
This merger will bring the strong record of OSW in helping homeless people progress through education, training and employment programmes and in helping people access accommodation in the Private Rented Sector together with Crisis' own services in these areas. OSW's experience of gathering evidence of ‘what works' in tackling the barriers many homeless people face will also add to Crisis' strong track record of campaigning for change.
Leslie Morphy, Chief Executive of Crisis said:
"We are delighted that we have managed to successfully conclude these negotiations with OSW. We look forward to building on the work of OSW over the last 10 years and through adding their services to Crisis's own to now help more homeless people progress through education and move into sustained employment and good quality accommodation. We also now have more evidence than ever before of what works in getting homeless people into sustainable employment and this will give us a stronger voice to Government in making the case for reform."
Frances Mapstone Chief Executive of OSW said:
‘In the current economic climate and commissioning environment, it is going to be increasingly difficult for small organisations to survive on their own. We believe that Crisis is the right partner to nurture, continue and disseminate the work that we have been doing over the last 15 years. We are particularly pleased that the innovative and aspirational job coaching methodology we have developed will now be available to many more homeless people due to the national profile of Crisis across the UK. It is of great satisfaction to the OSW Board and myself as CEO that we have managed to reach this point."
Notes to Editors
- Off the Streets and Into Work (OSW) - a registered charity that tackled homelessness by empowering individuals to access education, training, volunteering and employment opportunities and to move into their own home in the private rented sector - recognised that it was going to be increasingly difficult for small organisations to survive on their own. In this context, over the last few months, OSW has been proactively investigating the possibility of merging with another organisation in order to safeguard its existing portfolio of projects and to ensure the lessons are learnt to inform and facilitate future development. There are a lot of synergies between the work of Crisis and OSW which made Crisis natural partners when OSW was looking for an organisation with which to merge.
- OSW has worked across London for 15 years on a range of successful programmes focused on helping homeless people access employment and a home of their own in the private rented sector. The services of OSW will now continue as part of Crisis in particular:
- With new and renewed funding from the London Development Agency, London Councils and the Monument Trust, Crisis will be offering an employment focused coaching service for single homeless people, people with an offending history and households in temporary accommodation across London. Based on OSW's successful coaching methodology, these services provide an innovative and highly personalised response to a client's employment barriers.
- The Ethical Enterprise and Employment (3xE) Network, with the support of the Big Lottery Fund, promotes social enterprise to the homeless sector across England as a means of generating income and creating employment opportunities for homeless people. The WILLOW project (Welfare influencing and Lobbying : Learning Opportunities and Work) will continue a long track record of lobbying on behalf of homeless people and small and specialist service providers regarding barriers to employment, particularly through influencing the Department for Work and Pensions who part fund the project.
