Beam - crowdfunding to help homeless people get into employment

by Startacus Admin
Homelessness is a sad, frightening, and important topic. With 8000 people sleeping on UK streets and a further 200,000 ‘hidden homeless’ - those with only temporary accommodation, like hostels or even the backseat of their car - it is strangely easy to forget that these absurdly large numbers represent actual people.
That’s 280,000 individual human beings.
We have written before about startups who are acutely aware of this people-not-statistics fact. For example, San Francisco non-profit Lava Mae and their portable shower bus or, more recently, TAP and their idea to employ the homeless to collect for charity. The latter is most relevant to today’s startup, which is also geared towards helping homeless people to get into employment.
Step forward Beam is a crowdfunding and support platform for the homeless, with the aim of helping them progress into paid work and self-reliance.
Beam works with registered charities who recommend people to them. A Beam employee then meets with the new member to discuss their skills and experience, and what kind of training they will need in order to achieve employment.
From here, an online fundraising campaign is created for that member’s training. This training is provided by verified tuition providers and results in valuable, usable qualifications (one of the existing members is currently training for a City & Guilds Diploma in Electrical Installations, for example).You can give a one-time donation or give monthly, from £10, and the money is held by Beam and then paid to the tuition provider directly. You can always see the member’s target and amount raised, keeping things transparent.
This system works particularly well when, after a member has got set up in stable, paid work, they then provide support and mentorship to new Beam members. There is little more inspiring and encouraging than to be mentored by someone who was in your position just a short while previously, who is now standing on their own two feet. These newly stable members also often pledge to repay the value of their own campaign to new members’ campaigns.
It will take a lot more work, a lot more help from the government, and a lot more awareness, but when homelessness is finally eradicated, it will be because of social good organisations like Beam.
Subscribe to our newsletter
If you would like to receive our startup themed newsletter, full of the latest startup opportunities, events, news, stories, tips and advice, then sign up here.
Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.

Want to increase visual engagement for your startup's Instagram account? These tips will help you do just that.

Want to gain an edge over your business competitors? Listening to your audience is an absolute must.

The Clothes Doctor mission to fight fast fashion continues as the innovative eco clothing care brand raises £1m to support further growth.

If you plan on using social media to promote your brand, these simple rules will help, increasing both brand awareness and the number of consumers.

High-potential social impact startups from the UK sought for the 9th annual Les Tremplins by Voyage Privé programme.

The lowdown on Danish startup EvodiaBio and its innovative tech that produces sustainable aromas for the food and beverage industry.

Small Business Britain’s ‘How to Grow’ report outlines how small businesses are responding to economic challenges and how they can grow during recession.

Odd Coffee Company - the startup that's tackling coffee wastage by offering sustainably-sourced surplus coffee, rescued from British roasters.

Tech Nation shares an overview of the impact they have had on the UK's tech economy and ecosystem.
Published on: 11th February 2018
If you would like to enable commenting via your Startacus account, please enable Disqus functionality in your Account Settings.







- Raise Spring Accelerator programme seeking applications for next cohort 30th Jan 2023 Want to build an investable, scalable tech startup? The Raise Accelerator programme is now open for applications and will help you do just that.
- Leading French Travel Co. Offers Mentoring to two UK startups on its prestigious two-month programme 23rd Jan 2023 High-potential social impact startups from the UK sought for the 9th annual Les Tremplins by Voyage Privé programme.
- Small businesses need new model for growth in recession 23rd Jan 2023 Small Business Britain’s ‘How to Grow’ report outlines how small businesses are responding to economic challenges and how they can grow during recession.
- Tech Nation responds to the DCMS Digital Growth Grant announcement 20th Jan 2023 Tech Nation shares an overview of the impact they have had on the UK's tech economy and ecosystem.