Socially Responsible Community Engagement Policy
I&J seeks excellence in every aspect of its business and is committed to being a socially responsible community focused business.
Our policy is to build and maintain partnerships with local community groups and charities which aim to improve and advance those who live and work in the local vicinity while meeting our business goals and legal requirements. By establishing and documenting our community engagement policy we are ensuring we have clear and concise principles by which we engage with the community that can easily be upheld.
I&J are a partner of Breaking Barriers and we are proud to have helped one refugee complete his medical studies and go on to full employment with the NHS by providing employment for him during his study through our partnership with Breaking Barriers.
I&J has chosen a local charity (The Passage) which is close to our hearts and embedded in our community. We raise funds for The Passage throughout the year. Those funds go towards resources to positively affect change at a grass roots level helping homeless people in Victoria positively transform their lives.
We also support an international charity which has meaningful ties to the coffee industry; Project Waterfall. Annually, we raise funds during UK Coffee Week for Project Waterfall.
The Passage
The Passage runs London’s largest voluntary sector resource centre for homeless and vulnerable people: each day they help up to 200 men and women. The eight-strong team of Outreach Workers makes contact, often late at night or early in the morning, with those sleeping rough in Victoria as they are bedding down or getting up each day.
The 40-bed hostel, Passage House, was officially opened on 1 March 2000. In the financial year 2015-2016, 67 rough sleepers moved off the streets and into Passage House. The Passage also has 16 self-contained studio flats in Montfort House which have staff support on site and specialise in helping very long term rough sleepers.
The Passage welcomes and treat clients with respect and dignity. They offer professional, appropriate advice and help according to the client’s needs and aspirations. The goal is to agree an action plan with clients which is time limited with the aim of supporting clients out of homelessness.
Of the over £4 million a year it costs to keep The Passage going, only 33% is funded from statutory sources; the rest comes from donations from individuals, church organisations, charitable trusts and companies.
Breaking Barriers
Breaking Barriers enables refugees in London to acquire the knowledge, confidence and experience they need to secure stable and fulfilling jobs. They offer bespoke, intensive and flexible employment support to assist individuals to integrate in the UK and create fulfilling lives.