Our West Midlands Social Investment Tax Relief (SITR) Fund invested in nine social enterprises, all of which help people overcome poverty, particularly in some of the most marginalised communities, by providing support to those who are most in need and many have experienced barriers to decent education and employment, housing and many others.
One of the fund’s investees is Jericho. The social enterprise, which is based in Birmingham, helps people who encounter numerous and complex challenges to employment, training, or social inclusion. These individuals include those who have experienced trauma, homelessness, ex-offenders, physical and learning disabilities, lack of education and work experience and survivors of modern slavery.
Through paid work experience, personal development programs, vocational training, continuous mentoring, a program of social and wellbeing events, employability and job search support and assistance in obtaining quality and affordable accommodation, Jericho supports local people who have experienced an assortment of challenging life circumstances.
We released our 2022/23 South West and West Midlands SITR Social Impact Report earlier this year. Within this report, we included a case study on Jericho and specifically one of its service users, ‘C’, a survivor of modern slavery. C’s story offers a snapshot of the positive outcomes that can be achieved through support from organisation like Jericho.
C is from central Africa and had been experiencing modern slavery in the UK. At the point of rescue, she claimed asylum and was moved into temporary emergency accommodation in Birmingham. Her experiences of exploitation and levels of trauma meant that she found this environment very difficult to be in. This was also having a significant impact on her mental health. With no other statutory options available to her at the time she decided to leave and move in with a friend.
As her mental health improved, she was referred to Jericho for supported volunteering, where she began to flourish. However, after a few months, her friend’s circumstances changed and C needed to move out. With no recourse to public funds, she was terrified of having to return to emergency accommodation or hostels. Jericho recognised the impact this fear was having on C, through her reduced engagement and withdrawal.
Jericho was able to offer C a funded room within their shared six-bedroom home for female survivors of modern slavery, enabling her to re-stabilise her mental health and continue to engage in volunteering and other therapeutic activities. C has now been awarded refugee status and so she can now access benefits, begin looking for her own accommodation and has recently started a Masters degree. She is now able to look to her future with hope.
“I was living in a complete mess and a difficult situation in a safe house, and felt I had nobody to talk to or trust due to my experiences. Thank goodness I found Jericho; the staff have been so supportive in many ways, emotionally and practically. I would like to thank you also for the opportunity to live at Jericho accommodation, my life is so much better now, in a way I can’t explain.” C, a survivor of modern slavery
C isn’t the only person to be helped by the social enterprise:
Jericho received a £100,000 investment from Reconance’s West Midlands SITR Fund in August 2018. The investment facilitated the growth of one of Jericho’s most successful social enterprises, the ReUsers, where second-hand items are restored and sold through Jericho’s retail outlets. The investment also provided the initial working capital required to take on additional staff and retail space, as well as investing in refurbishment work and an updated sales system. This has increased retail space by 25%, enabling an increase in product ranges available, and ensuring the stores are working as efficiently as possible - significantly increasing the income generating potential of the business (as well as unlocking additional training and employment opportunities).
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Resonance Limited is a company registered in England and Wales no. 04418625
Resonance Impact Investment Limited, a subsidiary of Resonance Limited, is authorized and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Firm number 588462.
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