Scheme launched to help homeless access jobs in London

A social entrepreneur has launched a pioneering scheme to enable homeless people in London to have access to the internet.

Peter Paduh is providing homeless people in the capital with refurbished laptops to enable them to get online, apply for jobs and learn web skills. The scheme, which is called the Laptops for Homeless Initiative, has been launched in Camden Town by Socialbox.biz, Paduh’s enterprise.

So far, ten people have been provided with laptops, but Paduh is hoping that this number will increase to 1,000.

Difference

Speaking about the scheme, Paduh stated that he knows how much of a difference having access to a computer can make. The entrepreneur came to London as a refugee from Bosnia and was provided with a computer, which he said helped to change his life.

“It helped me to do what I wanted to do. I was able to use the computer to write business plans and letters – it opens up a world of possibilities,” he said.

The initiative has been launched in partnership with Thames Reach, a London-based charity that provides support for homeless people in the city.

Access

According to Paduh, more than half of the city’s 7,000 homeless people have no access to the internet, and he is aiming to help as many of them as possible.

He stated that thousands of disenfranchised members are cut from the job market because they have no access to computers or the internet.

Paduh said: “How can we expect the homeless to work past their situation when they have no ability to apply for jobs or learn new skills and trades?”

He added that the Laptops for Homeless Initiative will provide the UK’s homeless with the chance to “rejoin society and step out of the shadows.”