Introducing LinkedOut: The Digital Network That Helps Homeless People Find Jobs
Homelessness and exclusion are vicious circles from which it is difficult to escape. For three years, non-profit organisation ENTOURAGE has been working to establish a more stable social link with those who are homeless.
Beyond a need for food, shelter, money, and clothes, homeless people are mainly looking for consideration and friendship to allow them to regain self-confidence and succeed in breaking the spiral of exclusion.
There is a certain myth that all homeless people are lazy, yet today 24% of homeless people work. The majority of the rest aspire to find a job and are yet able to work. "Finding a job could allow me to recover my identity, my self-esteem," said Mélanie, a previously homeless woman who is currently looking for a job.
But for this to happen, employers and the general public need to change their perception about homeless people. Homelessness doesn’t mean a lack of skills or desire to succeed. But without a network, the chances of find a job are close to zero.
This is why ENTOURAGE and TBWA\Paris created the LinkedOut project: a digital platform which allows anyone to share the resume of people who are homeless yet searching for a job and give them an unique visibility and opportunities. LinkedOut is a simple to use digital platform that shines a spotlight on people who desperately need a job, showcasing their resume and giving them the opportunity to show who they really are.
Today, ENTOURAGE has launched the project with twenty candidates. The non-profit believes that every one of us holds the solution to ending homelessness: we can unite our networks to find work for the first twenty candidates and, tomorrow, hundreds more.
You can find out more about LinkedOut here.
