The Big Issue Foundation
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| The Big Issue Foundation | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Big Issue Foundation |
| Type | Charity |
| Founded | 1995 |
| Location | United Kingdom |
| Focus | Homelessness support |
The Big Issue Foundation is a UK-based charity supporting homelessness services and vendors through advocacy, advice, and direct support. Founded to complement The Big Issue social enterprise, the Foundation works with frontline organizations, policy makers and vendors to reduce rough sleeping and social exclusion. It operates alongside charities, shelters, and outreach teams to deliver crisis interventions and pathways to housing and employment.
History
The Foundation was established in 1995 shortly after the launch of The Big Issue magazine in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in London. Early work connected with street-level selling initiatives in Camden, Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Manchester, building partnerships with local agencies including Crisis, Shelter, and St Mungo's. The organisation responded to policy changes under the New Labour governments of the late 1990s and early 2000s, engaging with initiatives such as the Homelessness Act 2002. During the 2010s, the Foundation expanded services amid austerity measures linked to debates led by figures like Iain Duncan Smith and organisations including Shelter Scotland and Centrepoint. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, the Foundation coordinated with NHS England, local authorities in Greater London, and charities like Crisis at Christmas to support vendors affected by public health restrictions.
Mission and Activities
The Foundation's mission focuses on supporting vendors to move off the streets into stable lives, aligning with principles promoted by Big Society advocates and critics alike. Activities include advice provision modelled on best practices from Turning Point and Barnardo's, crisis support similar to interventions by St Anne's and Depaul UK, and employability programmes drawing on collaborations with Prince's Trust and The Salvation Army. The Foundation provides legal and welfare advice linked to benefits systems such as Universal Credit and liaises with agencies handling mental health issues like Mind and substance dependence services such as Change, Grow, Live.
Support Services and Programs
Frontline services include advice for vendors on housing, welfare, and health in partnership with outreach teams in boroughs like Islington, Lambeth, and Hackney. Programs encompass peer mentoring inspired by models from Homeless Link and social prescribing schemes promoted by NHS Wales and Health and Social Care Northern Ireland. Training and accreditation draw on standards from City & Guilds and employment pathways through partnerships with Jobcentre Plus and social enterprises such as Social Enterprise UK. Specialist initiatives have addressed complex needs by working with organisations like Turning Lives Around and veteran services including Combat Stress.
Operations and Funding
Operationally, the Foundation relies on a mixture of grants, donations, and charitable trusts, echoing funding patterns used by Joseph Rowntree Foundation and National Lottery Community Fund recipients. Financial support has come from philanthropists linked to The Roddick Foundation and corporate funders allied with Marks & Spencer and HSBC UK corporate social responsibility programmes. The Foundation reports outcomes to regulators such as the Charity Commission for England and Wales and complies with standards promoted by NCVO. Volunteer engagement mirrors models from Do-it.org and volunteer-run projects like Crisis Skylight.
Partnerships and Advocacy
The Foundation advocates for vendor rights and policy change through coalitions including Homeless Link, London Homelessness Partnership, and the National Housing Federation. It engages with parliamentary processes involving the House of Commons committees on housing and social care and has provided evidence to inquiries influenced by MPs from parties such as Labour Party and Liberal Democrats. Campaign partnerships include collaborations with media outlets like BBC News and social campaigns run alongside Shelter Northern Ireland and St Mungo's Broadway. International exchanges have linked the Foundation to organisations in Australia and Canada addressing street homelessness.
Impact and Criticism
Supporters cite reductions in rough sleeping among vendors and successful transitions to accommodation, drawing comparisons to outcomes reported by Crisis and Centrepoint. Independent evaluations reference best practice examples from Homeless Link and academic studies from universities such as University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and London School of Economics. Critics raise concerns similar to debates around welfare reform and conditional support models championed by some think tanks like Policy Exchange and IPPR, questioning long-term sustainability and the balance between charity and systemic reform. Others compare the Foundation's model to critiques of social enterprises debated in literature from Nesta and OECD policy reviews.