Twenty years of turning event work into pathways out of homelessness

Connection Crew just hit a milestone that quietly reshapes how we think about solving homelessness: 20 years of putting people affected by homelessness directly into paid work at major events across the UK.

The numbers tell a story that doesn't fit the usual narrative. Since 2005, the social enterprise has placed 499 people into living wage jobs and delivered nearly 300,000 hours of paid work. That's not charity. That's employment — the kind that builds stability.

The insight behind Connection Crew is almost obvious once you see it: event organizers need skilled crew. People rebuilding their lives after homelessness need steady work. Connect those two things, and something shifts. Instead of asking for a handout, someone gets a paycheck, training, and a next step.

During International Homelessness Week, Connection Crew gathered over 70 leaders from charities, social enterprises, and event companies to mark the anniversary and release their 20-year impact report. Lord John Bird, founder of The Big Issue, framed it plainly: "Connection Crew is one of those rare organizations that doesn't just give people a handout but a hand up."

What makes this work is procurement. When a major event books crew through Connection Crew instead of a conventional staffing agency, the money flows differently. It reaches people who live locally, supports social enterprises, and creates genuine employment rather than temporary gigs. Camilla Marcus-Dew, head of ventures at Connection Crew, made the case directly: "The power is in procurement choices. Staffing an event with people that live up the road, working with SMEs, putting money in the hands of diverse businesses — that's where transformation happens."

Warren Rogers, Connection Crew's director, pointed to the scale of untapped potential. The UK has over 100,000 social enterprises. If even a fraction shifted their purchasing decisions the way Connection Crew's partners have, the ripple effect would be substantial. "One choice. One action. One shift in how we turn up," Rogers said. "When those small changes multiply across a sector, they become transformation."

The network backing this work includes St Mungo's, Beam, Big Issue, and a growing roster of events companies whose bookings have generated the impact. It's a model that proves employment-led approaches work — not because they're idealistic, but because they're practical.

As the events industry looks ahead, the question becomes whether more organizers will see procurement as a tool for social change, not just logistics.