Fat Macy’s exists to get Londoners out of hostels and into their own homes.
Since 2010, homelessness in England has been rising. The problem we are tackling is common – those living in temporary accommodation find it increasingly challenging to save money for a deposit because a poorly designed system cuts their benefits as they start to work.
How does it work?
Our trainees volunteer their time on our 200-hour programme, gaining skills, experience and confidence. By volunteering with us trainees don’t have their benefits cut and we use our profits to create a housing deposit scheme for each trainee to save securely for their futures.
As they progress through the programme, trainees can apply for small grants to cover the costs of small items they need, such as personal identification documents, clothes and shoes for interviews and things for their new homes.
At the end of the programme, a trainee can then apply for a housing deposit grant. At this point, we require a tenancy agreement and an employment contract before we pay the deposit directly to the landlord of their choice. And our support continues for up to two years following the programme. All our commercial activities donate at least 2% of revenue to the Fat Macy’s Foundation.
Why Fat Macy’s?
By providing a pathway into employment and the support to build a life that everyone deserves, we are helping to break the cycle of homelessness in the UK.
In contrast to many existing initiatives, Fat Macy's provides a structured opportunity with a clear pathway to independent living. We also go around the catch-22 of the benefit system in the way we provide work experience and grants. This programme is for people who are planning to work and move into the private rented sector.
It is important to us that our trainees have as much as agency as possible, hence why our support is tailored for each individual. We ask our trainees what do they need support on and we work with key workers to support our trainees. Your Fat Macy's journey is determined by you.
While receiving our 1:2:1 support, trainees are equip with hospitality and catering skills and other soft transferable skills. You don't need experience in the hospitality sector or want to enter the hospitality industry to do Fat Macy's.
Trainees receive access to:
£1,500 Housing Deposit Grant after completing the 200 hour Milestone Programme
£300 of Milestone Grants
£200 to help with moving into their new place
1:2:1 tailored support on wellbeing, employment and tenancy sustainment
Free counselling and lifecoaching
Access to mentors
Free Level 2 Food Hygiene Qualification
Free Oyster travel for anything Fat Macy's related
New skills and opportunities
A wonderful community at Fat Macy's
Employment support
We help trainees with all aspects of their career, from looking for work and writing a CV, to developing their interview technique and negotiating conflict in the workplace.
Our team help trainees to identify new opportunities and support them to find stable, fulfilling employment.
Wellbeing support
We support trainees around self-esteem and motivation, focusing on restoring their confidence and building their sense of autonomy.
In addition to our Progression team, trainees have access to a life coach to set goals and plan for their future as well as free counselling.
Resettlement support
We provide practical support around managing a home, such as budgeting, how to pay bills, preparing to move, and packing and moving tips.
Once a trainee moves into their own home, we provide six months of intensive tenancy support, with check-ins for up to two years.
Move on support
We support our graduates to access their Housing Deposit Grant, and find their new home in the private rent sector. Once moved in, graduates will be supported to gain the skills needed to confidently sustain their tenancy like contacting utility providers, setting up direct debits, and connecting with their local community. This support continues for two years, ensuring the graduate has broken the cycle of homelessness for good.
Read more about our impact here
A trainees’s journey
Here are all the steps our trainees go through, from hostel to home.
Refer
If you would like to register your interest, you must complete our referral form. We ask you some questions about yourself to see if you are right for the programme. Key workers are able to refer on behalf of you as well. For any self referral, we will ask a keyworker to send another referral in to provide us with more information.
2. Sign Up
At the sign up session, you would meet the team, do a tour of the restaurant and complete your work experience form. You would also start on your level 2 food hygiene qualification. You can complete this from any device but we suggest doing it on a tablet or computer as they have bigger screens. Once the Level 2 Food and Hygiene Qualification has been completed, you would be invited to do three trial sessions.
3. Trial sessions
You would get your first experience in the kitchen and Front of House. You’ll be finding your feet, and we are here to help and support you to pass your trial period. We would provide regular feedback on what you are doing well on and what could improve on for next time. It is a great time for you see if you would like to do the 200 hour Milestone Programme. Your trial session hours count towards your 200 hours. At the end, you will be formally invited onto the Milestone Programme (should you wish to join).
4. 0 - 50 hours
As well as learning and growing in the restaurant, you’ll start receiving support from your Progression and Engagement officer. We would also be looking at your benefit entitlement, ensuring you have two forms of ID and you can start accessing free life coaching or therapy. Once you complete 50 hours, you can access your first milestone grant worth £100 or save it once you've reached 150 hours.
5. 51 - 100 hours
Now is the time we can see your confidence grow in the restaurant! You would be identifying what sector you’d like to work in, and what steps you need to take to get there (eg CV writing, training, mentoring etc). Once you hit 100 hours, you can access another milestone grant worth £100 or gather the three grants at 150 hours to use.
6. 101 - 150 hours
You're halfway there! During this time, you would be actively applying for work, at least part time work. Once you reach 150 hours, you can access the third milestone grant worth £100.
7. 151 - 200 hours
The final stretch! You're near the finish line. It's an exciting time where you would have learned new skills, met new people and been taking steps to enter private rented accommodation. We would work with you on a budgeting plan and gather evidence for the housing deposit grant application.
8. Housing deposit
You can now apply for your £1,500 housing deposit! You would present all your evidence to the Trustees once you are ready to move out. All the work with your P+E Officer would have led to this moment. You’ll meet with your P+E Officer to submit our evidence. This will then be transferred to a landlord once you have found somewhere to move to. This is an amazing achievement, congratulations!
9. Move in!
Settle into your new home, and sustain your tenancy and employment. Fat Macy’s will be here to support you with regular check ins for up to 2 years. As a graduate of the programme, you can still attend activities, be a Fat Macy’s Ambassador, or be a member of our Advisory Board. Well done!