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Homeless people in the capital are being given refurbished laptops thanks to a new initiative from Socialbox.biz.
Eight people using homelessness services in London were the first recipients of the ‘Laptops for Homeless Initiative’ at a handover held last week at the Thames Reach Spectrum Centre in Camden.
The initiative is the brainchild of Socialbox.biz, a social enterprise company specialising in innovative storage and ground-breaking recycling solutions for business, in partnership with the charity Thames Reach.
Camden deputy leader Patricia Callaghan attended the event to hand over the refurbished laptops, along with Socialbox.biz chairman Peter Paduh, and Thames Reach chief executive Jeremy Swain.
“Thousands of disenfranchised members of society are cut out from the job market by having no access to computers or the Internet,” said Paduh.
“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? Our ‘Laptops For Homeless Initiative’ was launched to provide the UK’s homeless with a chance to rejoin society and step out of the shadows.”
Callaghan commented: “Too many people do not have a home that is decent, affordable and secure. Government benefit cuts and changes to the way charities are funded are causing sharp increases in homelessness and rough sleeping.
“Despite Camden’s financial challenge and severe cuts to our funding from this Central Government, preventing homelessness continues to be a priority for Camden and we will continue to invest in these services.”
She continued: “It was a pleasure to hand over disused laptops on behalf of Camden to individuals registered with homelessness services, which will help them get online. We are proud to be able to provide assistance to people who have experienced hardship and are dedicated to getting their lives back on track.”
Swain added: “These computers will give the homeless and marginalised people who receive them the opportunity to communicate with friends and relatives, develop new interests and improve access to advice to improve their skills and employment prospects.
“The scheme aims to tackle homelessness via ‘digital inclusion’ – the access to computers and the internet that many take for granted but from which homeless people will also benefit.”
Find out more about SocialBox.Biz’s initiative at www.socialbox.biz.
