Now, it is true that I ride a bike a lot anyway, and so do the members of my team that came with me so cynics might conclude that riding for a charity is a good way to have a free three day bike ride through France in early summer. Which, is quite a good point, but without the ride we would not have raised the money because people need something to sponsor and helping the homeless is, I believe, one of the most rewarding things you can do.
There are many reminders of why homelessness is still such an embarrassing problem for Britain. For instance, Broadgate Mainland’s offices are in the City quite near the tent city that is the anti-capitalist protest at St Paul’s Cathedral. One of the more amusing stories that has come out of the protest is the large number of tents that are unoccupied each night. Anti-capitalism, it seems, is fine during the day but not during a grim rainy, November Friday night when the pubs empty and traffic noise doesn’t stop. However, many people who are on the streets during the day don’t have the luxury of popping home if it’s a bit chilly since they don’t have a home to pop to, which takes its toll; the average life expectancy for a homeless person is just 40 years old.
So why did I ride for the Big Issue Foundation and what is the £190,000 going to do? Well to put it simply I support the Big Issue Foundation because it helps empower vendors to help themselves. Around 15 years ago there were two homeless men with pitches outside a local shop near where; one sold the Big Issue one begged for money. The vendor eventually got himself sorted, got a job and disappeared. I bumped into the other a few years ago begging outside a Tesco’s on Goodge Street. He recognized me and from chatting with him his life had been the same for last 20 years except this time he had a limp had lost a finger. I tried to help him but he moved on and I lost touch.
I spotted the ad for the bike ride in Big Issue last December and thought my efforts would be better spent raising money for professionals rather than acting as an individual.
So, what does the Big Issue Foundation do with the money it raises?
This year it has provided ongoing support to over 2,900 Big Issue vendors throughout the UK with a range of services including starting substance misuse or addiction treatment, to open a bank or credit union account, to gain housing, to access to Healthcare and to achieve their personal aspirations.
In addition to this, The Big Issue Foundation provides grants through our ‘Vendor Support Fund’ These grants respond to help vendors in a time of crisis or to support vendors who are looking for training, employment or assistance in moving off the streets and into accommodation. Last year, The Big Issue Foundation provided 541 of these grants to vendors. This year the Foundation will be able to provide over 1,000 grants and to be eligible, each vendor must contribute 20% themselves – there is a strong emphasis on a savings culture amongst vendors so that they can fulfil their aspirations in a sustainable manner.
These grants have benefitted vendors in a range of ways, including buying a birth certificate or passport to enable a vendor to open a bank account, or buying household goods when a vendor obtains permanent housing to help them settle. The Foundation has helped purchase travel tickets to enable vendors to visit estranged family, a hugely important part of the journey from homelessness to a normal life.
The value of the grant varies and some are just small amounts, but, regardless of financial value the grants are life lines for vendors who would otherwise have literally nowhere to turn to. A passport costs £80 to buy and so our £10,000 can make quite a difference. Sometimes being annoying is not so bad after all.
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