The i
'I'm a 60-year-old domestic abuse survivor, now sharing a bed with my best friend. Here's why I want to train as a security guard' - Jan 2020
'I'm a 60-year-old domestic abuse survivor, now sharing a bed with my best friend. Here's why I want to train as a security guard' - Jan 2020
"60-year-old homeless grandmother Maria is crowdfunding to be able to train for a new career after 17 years of domestic abuse left her unable to work. Maria wants to train to be a security guard, so she can help other people whose lives have been affected by crime."
Evening Standard
Six women tell how they survived homelessness and are turning their lives around - Jan 2020
Six women tell how they survived homelessness and are turning their lives around - Jan 2020
"Six women have spoken about how they survived homelessness and are planning to turn their lives around in 2020. They have all crowdfunded their way into new professions with the support of London-based charity Beam."
The Guardian
‘I’ve been homeless. But now my daughter and I have a brighter future’ - Jan 2020
‘I’ve been homeless. But now my daughter and I have a brighter future’ - Jan 2020
"Beam helped Christianah set up a crowdfunding page containing her story, photos and a budget breakdown of the total costs the training would set her back. Once she has finished her course, she wants to become a Beam supporter herself. She says: “I don’t really like asking people for help. So it would be like paying back.”"
The i
Former prisoner deported from US after living whole life there raises funds to fulfill dream of becoming an electrician - Dec 2019
Former prisoner deported from US after living whole life there raises funds to fulfill dream of becoming an electrician - Dec 2019
"Beam is one of the best things to happen so far. House of St Barnabas referred me to Beam, an organisation that crowdfunds new career opportunities for homeless men and women. Even though I'm in the early stages of my residency, it's all been pretty good. They help you get to the financial support, and give you tools to work on your finances. They sat me down, and they made a list of all of my bills, a plan on how to go forward, stuff like that."
Financial Times
Start-ups use matchmaking mindset to aid those in need - Dec 2019
Start-ups use matchmaking mindset to aid those in need - Dec 2019
"Launched in 2017, Beam has supported 151 people, at an average cost of £3,313 each. Eighty per cent of its users — typically long-term unemployed living in homeless shelters — have started work in their target job, from electricians to accountants."
Metro
Ex-drug dealer determined to turn life around after watching mum’s funeral from prison - Dec 2019
Ex-drug dealer determined to turn life around after watching mum’s funeral from prison - Dec 2019
"A man who spent a decade in prison for selling drugs is calling on the goodwill of the public this festive season, to give him a second chance. Corey, 50, who was homeless when he finished his prison sentence, is raising £5,000 through Beam so that he can train up to become an electrician and give back to those in need."
The Week
How to help the homeless at Christmas time - Dec 2019
How to help the homeless at Christmas time - Dec 2019
"This Christmas, Beam is introducing gift cards to buy friends and family that include a one-off donation which the giver can allocate to any homeless person crowdfunding on Beam’s platform, with the money going to the individual’s employment training."
City AM
Meet Beam, the social enterprise crowdfunding training for homeless people - Dec 2019
Meet Beam, the social enterprise crowdfunding training for homeless people - Dec 2019
"Beam is providing a practical, transparent approach to addressing Britain’s homelessness. There are many worthy causes in the world, but if you’re feeling charitable this Christmas, this might be one to consider."
Badass Women's Hour
Ep 311: Changing Lives Through Crowd Funding with Anna and Decoda from Beam - Dec 2019
Ep 311: Changing Lives Through Crowd Funding with Anna and Decoda from Beam - Dec 2019
"In the season of giving the Badass Ladies have been finding out how you can create real change this Christmas in a personal way! In the studio is Decoda, she was helped back into college by the donations she received through her Beam campaign, she has been updating the people who helped her on the progress she has made every step of the way."
Evening Standard
Give back: how to gift charitably this Christmas - Dec 2019
Give back: how to gift charitably this Christmas - Dec 2019
"This Christmas, Beam is introducing gift cards to buy your friends and family that include a one-off donation you can allocate to any homeless person crowdfunding on Beam’s platform. All donations go directly to the individual’s employment training."
LADBible
Homeless Man Who Used To Sleep In Airport Now On His Way To Becoming Aircraft Engineer - Dec 2019
Homeless Man Who Used To Sleep In Airport Now On His Way To Becoming Aircraft Engineer - Dec 2019
"Lawrence knew he needed to upskill himself, but was conscious that this takes not only time and money, but also stability - three things he didn't have. It was then that he stumbled upon Beam, an organisation that crowdfunds employment training for homeless people."
City AM
No, your CEO can’t come paint our office: The 4 golden rules for CSR - Dec 2019
No, your CEO can’t come paint our office: The 4 golden rules for CSR - Dec 2019
"True CSR requires collaboration. It shouldn’t start with a ready-baked idea where charities and social enterprises only have the option to say yes or no. It’s great to come with ideas. But also prepare to be challenged if what you suggest doesn’t align with an organisation’s current, urgent needs. The right CSR will benefit your company in all kinds of ways. But if it’s benefiting the giver more than the receiver, ask yourself if that’s the CSR you really should be doing."
Stylist
The best charity Christmas gifts that give back - Dec 2019
The best charity Christmas gifts that give back - Dec 2019
"Help support a homeless person to crowdfund their employment training with this brilliant gift card scheme from charity Beam. The gift cards can be purchased in any amount, so you can give as much or as little as you can spare."
Evening Standard
Just giving: The high-tech ways to donate and help London's homeless population - Dec 2019
Just giving: The high-tech ways to donate and help London's homeless population - Dec 2019
"Alex Stephany came up with the idea for Beam (beam.org) when he met a homeless man outside Archway Tube station. Beam is a crowdfunding platform that funds education and training for homeless people so they can gain work and earn enough to get off the streets."
Forbes
How You Can Help A Homeless Person Leap Squarely Into The Middle Class - Nov 2019
How You Can Help A Homeless Person Leap Squarely Into The Middle Class - Nov 2019
"Critically, Beam is focused on the ultimate outcomes more than the money. The goal is to help people find stable employment in a position that will provide a living wage. So far, 52 of their 139 clients to date have reached that milestone. The rest are either in training or looking for work, a spokesperson says."
The Sun
Use your Black Friday cash to help change a life by funding a homeless person back into work - Nov 2019
Use your Black Friday cash to help change a life by funding a homeless person back into work - Nov 2019
"Shoppers are predicted to splurge a record £2.48million a minute in next week’s Black Friday sales – but could your cash be better spent? Employment crowdfunding platform Beam.org is urging us all to use our spare coins to help change a life."
Londonist
You Can Now Give Money To Homeless People Using Contactless In The City - Aug 2019
You Can Now Give Money To Homeless People Using Contactless In The City - Aug 2019
"Four Tap for Change points dotted throughout the Square Mile now allow you to tap a phone, debit or credit card, making a £3 donation each time. The money goes straight to homelessness charity Beam.”
Big Issue
Beam is teaming up with The Big Issue to change vendor lives - March 2019
Beam is teaming up with The Big Issue to change vendor lives - March 2019
"Online crowdfunding platform Beam will help Big Issue vendors into work thanks to an exciting new partnership. The Big Issue will refer selected vendors to Alex Stephany’s tech-for-good organisation, which will provide vendors with career coaching, budgeting advice and ongoing mentorship."
Verdict
Ethical tech platform Beam crowdfunding for UK homeless - Jan 2019
Ethical tech platform Beam crowdfunding for UK homeless - Jan 2019
“320,000 people are homeless in the UK, says charity Shelter. It’s easy to become just a number. Now there is a solution that puts a face and a name to a person without a home, helps them find a budget for training or child care and brings them into a community.”
HuffPost
Complete Strangers Crowd-Funded This Man’s Escape From Homelessness - Jan 2019
Complete Strangers Crowd-Funded This Man’s Escape From Homelessness - Jan 2019
“Beam.org is a platform much like GoFundMe or JustGiving but instead focuses on a select group of homeless people who are studying for qualifications...Stephany believes that crowdfunding is a very effective way of getting people into work, partly because it removes financial barriers like transport, childcare or tools. But more than that, it also builds a support network through the funders.”
Big Issue
Beam is harnessing local communities to help homeless people back to work - Jan 2019
Beam is harnessing local communities to help homeless people back to work - Jan 2019
"London entrepreneur Alex Stephany thinks tech is key to getting people into work and eradicating poverty. His model, Beam, uses an online platform to rally a homeless person’s community closer around them until they have the skills to support themselves."
Forbes
How Crowdfunding Is Helping Homeless People Turn Their Lives Around - Jan 2019
How Crowdfunding Is Helping Homeless People Turn Their Lives Around - Jan 2019
“Over the next few months, Alex hopes to scale the platform and reach even more vulnerable individuals. He says: “2018 was about proving the model. 2019 is about growing our impact. That's something we can only do with your help. If you want to help a homeless person for the long-term, I'd encourage you to join this community.”
BBC
Homeless Scottish veteran tells of his journey back to work - Dec 2018
Homeless Scottish veteran tells of his journey back to work - Dec 2018
Tarquin, who now works while training to be a gas safety engineer, raised just under £4,000. His parents were drug users and he started at 14. He points outside and says: “I grew up down the road with Tony (another member of the group) and heard how Beam helped him out. His story inspired me.”
Daily Express
Charity is finding work for former Forces members fallen on hard times in civvy street - Dec 2018
Charity is finding work for former Forces members fallen on hard times in civvy street - Dec 2018
“Beam has been hailed as an innovative approach to solving the nation's growing homelessness crisis, with more than one in eight of those on the streets having served in the Forces. The tech platform works by helping homeless people raise funds to pay for professional training in professions as diverse as plumbing and accountancy through donations from the public. The aim is to ensure former service personnel can obtain long-term skilled and stable employment.”
Reuters
With the click of a button, Britain's homeless crowdfund their way to work - Dec 2018
With the click of a button, Britain's homeless crowdfund their way to work - Dec 2018
“[Hana] is one of about 50 homeless people who secured employment training through Beam, which it says is the world’s first purpose-built platform that helps homeless people crowdfund donations through their online profile.”
Forbes
Meet The Entrepreneur Ending Homelessness - Dec 2018
Meet The Entrepreneur Ending Homelessness - Dec 2018
“Beam is making it easy for anyone who cares about this issue to make an impact. By making it easy, Beam is building a people-powered community already numbering in the thousands that are helping solve homelessness, one person at a time…”
Glamour
I went from being homeless to training for my dream job as a beauty therapist, here's how… - July 2018
I went from being homeless to training for my dream job as a beauty therapist, here's how… - July 2018
“For mother-of-one, Hana, the terrifying reality of moving from East Africa to the UK left her with no bank account, no job and no place for her and her son to call home.
Mail Online
War veteran turns life around after PTSD led to hell of addiction - June 2018
War veteran turns life around after PTSD led to hell of addiction - June 2018
“I know becoming an electrician is my next step back to a normal life,” he said. “My plan in 5 years is to be at the level 3 of electrical installations and looking at setting up my own business! This is going to be a life changing experience for me”.
BBC
UK 'leading world' in compassionate technology - May 2018
UK 'leading world' in compassionate technology - May 2018
”The UK technology sector grew 2.6 times faster than the UK economy as a whole last year, new figures show. One of the biggest growth areas was in compassionate tech, with new apps and online services helping society's most vulnerable….Beam approaches homeless charities, creates a plan for people to get their dream role, and then uses social media to match sponsors to individual campaigns.”
The Guardian
'It's been my compass': helping the homeless failed by the government - April 2018
'It's been my compass': helping the homeless failed by the government - April 2018
“I meet members of Beam, a crowdfunding platform which allows those who have been homeless to seek donations towards the training and qualifications they need to work.
HuffPost
Strangers Are Working Together To Crowdfund People Out Of Homelessness - April 2018
Strangers Are Working Together To Crowdfund People Out Of Homelessness - April 2018
“Beam is the world’s first crowdfunding platform of its kind. Backed by the Mayor of London, the app launched in September and has since funded 22 campaigns, raising over £67,000 from public donations to fund a range of industry-recognised qualifications. There are over 1,200 supporters and 23 homeless members on the platform who are pursuing a range of career paths - from electricians and accountants to teaching assistants and social workers.
Financial Times
Charities develop apps to help Britain’s homeless - April 2018
Charities develop apps to help Britain’s homeless - April 2018
“Alex Stephany, a former corporate lawyer, has set up a crowdfunding platform, Beam, to try to help them find professional employment and move on with their lives. The app allows donors to contribute small amounts to the costs of retraining homeless people, who Mr Stephany calls “members”, whose biographies are listed on its website and smartphone app, or split donations equally."
LADBible
Crowdfunding Platform Beam To Provide Job Training For The Homeless - March 2018
Crowdfunding Platform Beam To Provide Job Training For The Homeless - March 2018
“Along with backing from the Mayor of London, innovation foundation Nesta and some of the UK's leading tech entrepreneurs, Beam also has an ambassador - James Bowen, the author of multi-million copy selling A Street Cat Named Bob. “Beam is a great way to help these people to get back on their feet and actually train in something they want to do," says Bowen, and looking at the stats it's hard to disagree.”
London Evening Standard
This crowdfunding platform for the homeless has won Mayor’s backing - Dec 2017
This crowdfunding platform for the homeless has won Mayor’s backing - Dec 2017
"Beam, a tech start-up launched in November, has won financial support from Mayor Sadiq Khan for its innovative approach to solving the nation’s growing homelessness crisis...Matt Harrison, director of Homeless Link, a charity dedicated to ending homelessness through policy change, said Beam is one of the most promising digital innovations in homelessness” of recent years."
The Sun
Beam is a ray of light - Dec 2017
Beam is a ray of light - Dec 2017
"Supporting homeless people costs the UK £1.15billion a year, while failing to tap into the talents and work aspirations of tens of thousands of people. One tech start-up thinks it has the answer. Beam crowdfunds money for homeless people to train for jobs, then supports them into stable employment."
BBC
New site helps crowdfund training for homeless people - Dec 2017
New site helps crowdfund training for homeless people - Dec 2017
"Tony was homeless for decades, but now he’s turning his life around. He started training as an electrician but ran out of money to pay for the course. So he turned to Beam."
Sky News
New funding website for homeless 'changing lives' - Dec 2017
New funding website for homeless 'changing lives' - Dec 2017
“A new crowdfunding platform has been set up to help homeless people pay for job skills and training. Beam lets people donate money securely to fund specific employment qualifications for homeless people.It is the brainwave of tech entrepreneur Alex Stephany, who wanted to help tackle the growing problem of homelessness.”
The Times
Crowd-funding helps homeless get back to work - Nov 2017
Crowd-funding helps homeless get back to work - Nov 2017
"This transparency in how donors’ money is spent, with regular photographs of the recipient... is a key factor in convincing supporters that their money is having an impact."
The Guardian
How crowdfunding can create empathy with homeless people - Nov 2017
How crowdfunding can create empathy with homeless people - Nov 2017
"The founder of Beam says that his site is not doing the work of the state and builds an emotional connection with individuals helped into jobs....To develop the idea for Beam, Stephany spent more than a year meeting staff and managers at homelessness charities including Thames Reach, Crisis, and Connexions."
Daily Express
How to help homeless people in the UK: THIS tech start-up needs YOU to help change Britain - Nov 2017
How to help homeless people in the UK: THIS tech start-up needs YOU to help change Britain - Nov 2017
“Alex Stephany, CEO of tech start-up Beam, is on a mission to help as many homeless people as possible re-build their lives and get off the street for good by creating a company that crowd-funds to allow members to learn a skill or a trade…The best illustration of Beam's impressive work isn't a spreadsheet of figures, or the total number of funds raised - it's the honest word of one man who's been through Beam's unique model: Joe”.
Time Out
Meet a homeless Londoner who’s using crowdfunding to turn his life around - Nov 2017
Meet a homeless Londoner who’s using crowdfunding to turn his life around - Nov 2017
“Tony Elie is one of the first people to benefit from a new platform called Beam, which gives homeless people a leg up via crowdfunding. He explains how it’s helping him make a fresh start… “Now, when you’re in my situation, you get used to hearing things that turn out to be too good to be true. I have to admit that I hadn’t even heard of crowdfunding before, and I had no idea if it would work. But pretty soon it was turning my life around”.
Metro
There’s a way to sponsor a homeless person back into work - Nov 2017
There’s a way to sponsor a homeless person back into work - Nov 2017
“A new website has launched helping you sponsor homeless people to get back on their feet with training. The first steps back into work can be difficult, especially without up-to-date qualifications. But Beam uses crowdfunding technology to get people training in areas like construction, teaching, plumbing, electrics or driving professionally.”
Independent
Campaign launched to give homeless people employment training to get them back into work - Nov 2017
Campaign launched to give homeless people employment training to get them back into work - Nov 2017
"Beam allows users to sponsor homeless people and contribute towards training courses in London. It also lets users follow their progress, with regular updates and photos of them receiving training or at work."