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Rough sleeper who found work with haulage company returns to streets with boss to raise awareness

7 min read

Better Society
Source: Unsplash/Jonathan Rados

The MD of a haulage firm and a rough-sleeper he employed during lockdown return together to the streets of London to highlight the necessity and viability of employing homeless people to greatly reduce homelessness in the UK.

HAULAGE COMPANY HIRED HOMELESS MAN DURING LOCKDOWN

Mark O’Reilly had been sleeping outside the National Portrait Gallery in London during lockdown before being taken on by Harinder Singh, MD of BJS Haulage in Wednesbury, West Midlands. Mr O’Reilly, 21, who has been working as a driver’s mate for four months, wants to help others in a similar position, Mr Singh told the BBC. The company (named after Baba Jaswant Singh Ji) has compassionate, spiritual values at its core, and aims to help and hire more rough-sleepers in the coming weeks. 

"If there ever was a time to show compassion and togetherness, this really is the time," said Singh. Empathy and compassion in the corporate world should be the norm, not the exception.”

His mother’s addictions denied him a nurturing start to life but the street-smart survival instincts he cultivated largely kept him out of trouble. He was 21 years old when Under One Sky found him outside the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square during the lockdown.
Mark O’reilly had been living on the streets since he was 16 years old. His mother’s addictions denied him a nurturing start to life but the street-smart survival instincts he cultivated largely kept him out of trouble. He was 21 years old when Under One Sky found him outside the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square during the lockdown. Source: underonesky

“Empathy and compassion in the corporate world should be the norm, not the exception.”

Harinder Singh, MD of Wednesbury-based BJS Haulage, has partnered with the community organisation ‘Under One Sky’ to demonstrate the viability and necessity of employing those who are currently without a home, to greatly reduce homelessness in the UK. The company is named after Baba Jaswant Singh Ji and compassionate, spiritual values are at the heart of the organisation.

Harinder says “During the Covid-19 Spring/Summer lockdown, our employee Mark was found rough sleeping in Trafalgar Square by the non-profit organisation Under One Sky. Their volunteers were out in Central London each day, seeking to help those left behind on the streets whilst the majority of people were asked to stay home.  He was given food and warmth and secured a personal sponsor that enabled him to find safe accommodation, and he has now been working at BJS for four months.

“He needed someone to believe in him, someone to back him and give him a break. We want to challenge the assumptions around homelessness, recognising and acting on our potential to help. It would be wrong to assume that those failed by society will fail those who help them back on their feet. Empathy and compassion in the corporate world should be the norm, not the exception.”

Mark O’Reilly had been living on the streets since he was 16 years old. His mum’s addictions denied him a nurturing start to life but the street-smart survival instincts he cultivated largely kept him out of trouble. He was 21 years old when Under One Sky found him outside the National Portrait Gallery in Trafalgar Square during the lockdown. Well versed in street living Mark was sceptical of offers of support and initially turned down attempts to find him secure shelter. The determined team won his trust and, thanks to a private sponsor, arranged a hostel where he remained at the height of the pandemic. 

 Jamie Whelan, an Under One Sky volunteer, didn’t want the end of pandemic support to mean Mark’s only option was to return to the streets. He reached out to Harinder, a personal friend, and enquired as to employment opportunities at BJS that would be a fit for Mark. As an expanding company with vacancies that prioritised hard work and commitment over academic qualifications Mark was offered a role as a driver’s mate, a role he has been successfully managing for four months now. 

Under One Sky recognise the importance of on-going support as people transition in to new opportunities but hope that this inspiring case study shows that it can be done. 

On October 24th Harinder, Under One Sky and BJS’s formerly homeless employee, returned to London to gift items – and brought friendship and connection – to those still living on the streets.

We are incredibly grateful to Harinder and the BJS team for shining a light on the positive contributions our previously homeless friends can make, to businesses and their wider communities, when given the chance” commented Under One Sky founder Mikkel Juel Iversen “If we are to be successful in our goal of ending homelessness once and for all, then we all have a role to play.  We look forward to partnering with other businesses in the future that are inspired by Harinder’s example.”

By returning to the streets of London together, BJS and Under One Sky hope to encourage other companies to support these types of schemes, to the mutual benefit of all parties.

Said Singh. “I believe in a divine flow and I believe in my team. Who we are as people, our values and emotional needs, shouldn’t be ignored within the world of work.., By respecting my team and treating them with compassion and kindness they are better able to continue that conduct to the benefit of everyone they encounter, including my customers. It is what has set us apart as a business.”
“My Sikh faith means we are one family, one humanity so that is absolutely integral in our beliefs… it’s all about giving back,” Said Singh. “I believe in a divine flow and I believe in my team. Who we are as people, our values and emotional needs, shouldn’t be ignored within the world of work.., By respecting my team and treating them with compassion and kindness they are better able to continue that conduct to the benefit of everyone they encounter, including my customers. It is what has set us apart as a business.” Source: underonesky

About BJS Haulage

BJS is a family run delivery business based in the Midlands, the two-man service was launched during the 2009 recession and is now the preferred partner for market leading brands such as MADE.com and Richer Sounds. They are expanding during today’s challenging economic climate and rolling out a large fleet of haulage trucks to cater for the larger end of logistics.

Managing Director Harinder Singh employs 450 people, which he considers a responsibility to the 450 families reliant on him. Such a compassionate, heart centred business is unusual but given it has a turnover in excess of £25 million is clearly a good thing for both people and profit.

From its very inception spiritual guidance was sought for the venture from Baba Jaswant Singh Ji– whom the company is named after. Based in Punjab, Baba Jaswant Singh Ji has a trust that runs projects for the welfare of humanity; provision of health care facilities, higher medical education and to show ‘the path of spiritual righteousness’, to ‘foster human values and welfare with esteemed devotion indeed’.

While not an obvious fit to most Western business values corporates seem to have increasingly embraced a more human side of late in response to COVID-19. For all its horrors, is it possible that a pandemic has bought compassion to more companies? Might the unspoken human frailty that lock down revealed beneath the veneer of even the most ambitious staff mean we move towards a warmer more human workplace? Harinder certainly hopes so;

“I believe in a divine flow and I believe in my team. Who we are as people, our values and emotional needs, shouldn’t be ignored within the world of work. There is no division in our hearts before you start work and after you sit at your desk or the cab of a truck. By respecting my team and treating them with compassion and kindness they are better able to continue that conduct to the benefit of everyone they encounter, including my customers. It is what has set us apart as a business.”

Source: BJSHaulage

Source: underonesky

About Under One Sky

Under One Sky (UOS) is a volunteer-led initiative that has supported rough sleepers more than 41,000 times in London since 2012.  Founded by Mikkel Juel Iversen, we’re also active in Cambridge and Madrid, with plans to expand further in both UK and Europe in the coming years.

Response to Covid-19

Despite the Government’s pledge on the 26th of March 2020 to house all rough sleepers, UOS’s London volunteers found that the numbers of newly homeless people in the capital were potentially on the rise, as their living conditions deteriorated. In response, UOS partnered with several other organisations, including Stories for Change, Action4London, and Punjab Restaurant to support people living on the streets.

On the 2nd of April 2020, they launched a nightly food ‘outreach service’ providing hot food and drink to rough sleepers around Victoria, Kings Cross, London Bridge, Soho and the Embankment. By July 6th they had served over 40,000 evening meals. With new funds coming in, UOS were able to launch a breakfast service three times a week in partnership with Chef Richard Corrigan and Bentleys Oyster and Grill. The organisation also provided clothing, toiletries, sleeping bags and other much-needed items providing a lifeline during very uncertain times.

As a not-for-profit organisation, UOS’s work relies exclusively on private funds, with donations spent on supporting homeless people directly.  Donors range from members of the public, to SME’s, larger businesses and organisations. UOS offer corporate partnership events, providing businesses with the opportunity to offer their employees the chance to engage with communities of homeless people, in the areas where they live and work.

UOS volunteers distribute support packages with food, clothes, toiletries, sleeping bags, gift cards, books and messages of hope and light, to people living through very dark times. The gift cards are used to buy tents, winter clothes and other necessities.

UOS is currently exploring exciting plans to develop a permanent accommodation hub in London, providing a home for up to 25 people.  Operated by professional trauma and mentorship experts, and UOS volunteers, the hub will support residents for three-months, working with them towards a journey of good health and independent living, whilst identifying appropriate training and employment opportunities.

UOS’s mission is to meet homeless people in a spirit of compassion, and a genuine desire to connect and create a feeling of belonging in our world today.

Under One Sky was founded on the principle that humanity is one large family: we are all connected, regardless of our nationality, race, religion, or any other label.

Source: UnderOneSky

says Under One Sky founder Mikkel Juel Iversen “If we are to be successful in our goal of ending homelessness once and for all, then we all have a role to play. We look forward to partnering with other businesses in the future that are inspired by Harinder’s example.”
“We are incredibly grateful to Harinder and the BJS team for shining a light on the positive contributions our previously homeless friends can make, to businesses and their wider communities, when given the chance” says Under One Sky founder Mikkel Juel Iversen “If we are to be successful in our goal of ending homelessness once and for all, then we all have a role to play. We look forward to partnering with other businesses in the future that are inspired by Harinder’s example.” Source: underonesky
Under One Sky EMERGENCY FOOD ACTION The story on the streets of London during the COVID-19 lockdown. Source: YouTube/UnderOneSky
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UNDER ONE SKY EMERGENCY FOOD ACTION 2020

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