StreetShine is an innovative social enterprise that gives people who have experienced homelessness, suffered disadvantage in the job market and are in the process of rebuilding their lives the chance to earn a regular income by operating a shoeshine service within offices in the City of London.
The ‘shiners', who are referred to StreetShine by participating homeless organisations, receive training, a regular income, a bank account and ultimately the chance to start up their own franchise, improving their confidence, skills and self-esteem in the process. StreetShine provides its employees with support and helps them move on from dependency on benefits.
The service is offered desk-to-desk and shoes are shined ‘on the foot', so you can continue to work while your shoes are polished to a brilliant shine.
StreetShine provides not only shoe shining but shoe repairs and shoe accessories as well. Shiners use premium quality products, enabling them to use their hands to clean the shoes.
We have recently started offering our service at Corporate Events and Conferences, which is proving extremely popular. At only £45 per hour, we are able to provide a fully qualified ‘shiner’ to attend your event and be on hand either throughout the day or for a specified time suitable to you. If you would like further details, please call Simon on 020 7840 3468 or email simon@streetshine.com
Conceived by entrepreneur Nick Grant, who continues to play a leading role in the business, and backed by the A Glimmer of Hope Foundation, StreetShine is a subsidiary company of Thames Reach Bondway, one of the UK's leading homelessness charities. Established as a social enterprise, all profits go back into the company to provide training and support for more shiners.
Nick came up with the idea after doing the soup run in Victoria and realising not only how easy it was to become homeless but also how difficult it was to break out of its vicious cycle. Having witnessed the popularity of shoe shining in the United States, he decided that developing StreetShine could be the perfect scheme to provide homeless people with an opportunity to learn a skill and get back into regular employment.