Successful work scheme for homeless people gets £100k boost from Osborne Clarke

The programme – named RollOnMonday after its founding company – will be funded for the next two years by international legal practice Osborne Clarke. The firm will also offer placements to RollOnMonday clients as well as hosting employability workshops and mentoring schemes.

RollOnMonday supports people who are homeless or at risk to secure a three month work placement in law firms or related businesses. Organisations which currently have work placements include BPP Law School, DWF, Clifford Chance, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, and Linklaters.

Since the project began two years ago, more than 30 people have completed a placement with the large majority of them going on to find full time work.

By summer 2017 RollOnMonday will support a further 40 people into work, and 100 more will be supported over the next two years.

Addison Barnett, St Mungo’s Employment Team Manager said: “The future looks bright for the scheme and thanks to Osborne Clarke we will see many more of our homeless clients finding the confidence and skills to rebuild their lives. People who are homeless struggle to find work because of barriers like poor literacy and numeracy and lack of stable accommodation. The RollOnMonday programme helps clients overcome these barriers, offering tailored support from our job coach and staff teams along the journey.”

Ray Berg, Managing Partner of Osborne Clarke UK said: “When I say that people are at the heart of what we do as a business, this extends beyond our employees and our clients to the communities around us. RollOnMonday has already made headway in its first two years and we’re really proud that our donation is helping this exceptional programme grow across the UK.”

Matthew Rhodes OBE, founder of RollOnFriday, said: “A large number of firms have gone to great effort to find roles for vulnerable candidates and to provide them with a huge level of support. The success of this scheme is testament to that effort and is a badge of honour for the profession. Providing well paid, meaningful employment is the best way to break the
cycle of homelessness. Osborne Clarke’s donation will enable this scheme to be expanded across the country and will ultimately us to transform the lives of hundreds of people.”

Sabrie is currently working at DWF on a RollOnMonday placement. She said: “Having support from St Mungo’s and DWF has brought me back from the brink. The RollOnMonday project gave be all the prep I needed to attend my interview and once I succeeded in getting employment they supported me all the way until my first pay check which was a huge weight off my shoulders. I’ve been lucky enough to secure a 12 month contract and securing this employment has given me my confidence back in the working world. I now realise my true potential once again.”