Intervention: Burnley
Fund: Community Investment Fund
Date of Investment: October 2015; refinanced December 2016; combined and refinanced in 2019
Impact Area: Housing and local facilities
Beneficiary Group: People experiencing long-term unemployment
Spacious Place Contact is a company limited by guarantee, established in 2013.
Spacious Place Contact works with private businesses to help create employment and training opportunities for disadvantaged and vulnerable individuals. The organisation also helps individuals who are in work but need support and advice to maintain the role.
Spacious Place Contact is also developing a digital inclusion app, which will offer access to affordable white goods to people living in poverty.
The loan financed the purchase of a grade II listed former cotton mill in Burnley. The building is rented out to private businesses that provide employment and training to vulnerable people
Employment information and training
Unemployed adults, including more vulnerable individuals
Spacious Place Contact leases the premises to private businesses. They offer personal development and training to their employees
The purchase enabled Spacious Place Contact to create a place of employment and training for disadvantaged people. Since 2017 the organisation has focused on pre-employment engagement and workplace support for employees in tenant companies
Spacious Place Contact’s model relies on 3rd party employers to engage with their programme. COVID-19 has been a challenge regarding tenants
Power to change and SASC understood what we were trying to achieve and together they really helped us to get the building and structure, but also the kick-start to start all the mentoring and support. Without that blended model, it just wouldn’t have been possible for Spacious Place to exist.
Ian Scholes, CEO
