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no homelessness Founder of Buses4Homeless, Dan Atkins, has a new approach to getting people off the streets and it’s all on the buses... WHAT DOES BUSES4HOMELESS DO?
We provide a holistic solution to homelessness. A lot of organisations provide temporary solutions – they might give people meals or provide shelter at night. But if you’re in the cycle of homelessness this doesn’t help you get any life traction. With us, people get a pod for at least three months. Our four buses are spaces for eating, sleeping, learning and wellbeing and we rehabilitate homeless people, getting them back on their feet into employment and independent living.
WHERE DID THE IDEA FOR IT COME FROM?
I’ve been building buses and coaches for years and one day I walked into the yard and there was a guy who used to be my part-time mechanic, a friend of mine, sleeping rough in the luggage locker under a coach. It broke my heart so that day we went
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out and bought him a bus and kitted it out so he could live in it with his three dogs, which he did for two and a half years. I also have a background in teaching and I’ve had personal trauma in my own life. I think all my life experience has led to this project.
HOW DID IT GO FROM ONE BUS FOR A FRIEND TO BUSES4HOMELESS?
In the past I’d done a lot of favours for people in the events world and that paid off when I got a call from someone at the Hotel Booking Agents Association. She had seen what we’d done on social media and wanted to help by making us their official charity for 2019. That’s when it started to snowball. I went to speak in front of 300 of their members with the intention of raising £5,000 to kickstart the project but we ended up raising over £30,000 and Stagecoach donated four buses to us.
We became a social enterprise because getting the charitable commission to understand that things like reiki energy healing and life coaching can alleviate poverty by creating a positive mind set was difficult. Social enterprises are the way forward, coming at problems with a business mindset will make the world a better place faster.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS PERSON?
We really work on their mental health and wellbeing, which is by far the most important part of their journey off the streets. Buses4Homeless work with various trainers and healers to strip back the layers of how and why each person has become homeless. Once we’ve addressed their inner demons we equip them with positive coping tools and when they are ready we start up-skilling them. Finally, we find various caring employers to offer
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OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2021
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