We were thrilled to be awarded first place and a £30,000 prize at the prestigious London Homelessness Awards last Thursday. Deputy Mayor James Murray hosted the event, which was held at City Hall, and presented the award.
Simon Dow of the London Housing Foundation chaired the judging panel for this year’s awards. He said:
“The judges were very positive about all of our finalists but in the end felt that Beam had the edge on taking a simple idea and through the use of technology and new media producing a modern and relevant way of connecting potential funders to individuals seeking help. We believe that they can go on to even greater things and replicate the model in other areas.”
Alex Stephany, Founder and CEO of Beam had the following to say:
“We were surprised and delighted to receive 1st prize in the London Homelessness Awards. It’s especially exciting to get recognition from experts and leading CEOs in the sector that we are doing something important. A year after launching, we’ve seen that Beam’s model provides a long-term solution to homelessness for those we support while allowing employers to access the huge untapped talents and potential of London’s homeless population. The £30,000 funding will allow Beam to further expand its work supporting homeless people through training and into rewarding work.”
Other prize winners, winning £20,000 and £10,000 were the Psychology in Hostels Project run by South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation trust, Thames Reach and Lambeth Council, and the Pan London Reciprocal run by Safer London.
The London Homelessness Awards was founded in 1999 to recognise innovative work and projects that tackle homelessness in London and beyond.
