See How a Cup of Coffee a Day Can Make All the Change for the Homeless

In November FCB Inferno launched the social enterprise, Change Please, with the Big Issue. The concept was to train the homeless as baristas to sell coffee from mobile vans, while also providing them with temporary housing and the skills to enter full time employment. Since then Change Please has sold over 78,000 cups of coffee, expanded from one to five sites across London and employed 12 formerly homeless people as expert baristas. 

The agency is also in discussion with a major UK retailer to stock the coffee in stores. To mark the success of the enterprise FCB is seeding a film that demonstrates the barista’s journey. It stars Jatinder, one  of the first baristas who also featured in BBC One’s documentary Famous, Rich and Homeless where he demonstrated the harsh reality of homelessness in the UK.

Jatinder says: “I had been to the council trying to get accommodation, but had been told I wasn’t a priority. I was sleeping in a stairwell in a block of flats. It wasn’t easy, it was cold and scary sometimes. Before this, I thought coffee was just pouring some water on to the Nescafe! But I had a couple of training days before Christmas and started working with Change Please full time at the start of this year. I saved up my wages and now rent a little room, it makes me smile every time I jump in the shower, or use the toaster, or open the fridge and take some food out to eat. This job has made it all possible. I have a lot to thank Change Please for. As the company grows, I hope to grow with it. I had forgotten what I was capable of – being homeless was taking up all my time. Being back in employment has brought out the best of me”