Our Work

Live and Work

Supporting young women experiencing homelessness into employment

The Live & Work programme was delivered by Loconomy in partnership with St Basil’s, with funding from The JABBS Foundation for Women and Girls. The project supported young people aged 18–25 who were experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity to build confidence, develop employability skills and move towards employment, training and independent living.

Programme Overview

Working alongside St Basils, our Coach Mentors provided personalised one-to-one employability coaching, careers guidance and practical support tailored to each young person's circumstances. Throughout the programme we adapted our delivery model to meet participants where they were – from employer-led opportunities and city centre drop-ins to place-based coaching within supported accommodation.

The programme engaged almost 100 young people over twelve months, connecting participants with employer partners including 200 Degrees Coffee, the BBC, BT, Berkeley Group, BMET College and Nando's. Alongside helping young people secure employment, training and volunteering opportunities, the programme focused on building confidence, aspirations and trusted relationships that support longer-term progression.

Our independent evaluation highlighted the importance of relationship-led coaching, flexible delivery and strong partnerships. It also reinforced Loconomy's Trusted Intermediary approach, demonstrating that young people are more likely to engage when support is delivered through organisations and people they already know and trust.

The learning from Live & Work is continuing to shape how we design employability programmes and support some of the most disadvantaged young people across Birmingham.

Impact Highlights

1

Supported almost 100 young people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

2

Delivered personalised one-to-one employability coaching and mentoring.

3

Built partnerships with employers including 200 Degrees Coffee, BBC, BT, Berkeley Group, BMET College and Nando's.

4

Helped participants progress into employment, training, volunteering and further education.

5

Demonstrated the value of Loconomy's relationship-led Trusted Intermediary model.

What We Learned

Live & Work reinforced that employability support is most effective when it is relationship-led, flexible and delivered where young people already feel safe. Trusted partnerships, personalised coaching and sustained support can make a significant difference for young people facing multiple barriers to employment.

  • Coffee 200 workshop

  • Coffee 200 workshop

  • Employment session

  • Apprenticeship session

  • BBC visit

  • BBC visit

  • Coffee 200 workshop

  • St Martin's Employment Hub