The Council is proud to recognise the work of Social Bite’s Jobs First programme through our parking contractor NSL (part of Marston Holdings).
We're also sharing the inspiring story of Patrick who has benefitted from this programme and is now employed as a Parking Attendant here in Edinburgh.
Jobs First was established by Social Bite in October 2021 as a pathway for homelessness experienced individuals to employment - and in that time they have helped over 90 people.
The programme guarantees living wage employment for each person and provides wrap-around support for both the employer and employee. Each Jobs First employee is allocated a support worker from Social Bite who assists them throughout the programme and their employment contract, meeting weekly initially to offer practical support on bills and forms, as well as emotional guidance and confidence building to adapt to working life. Social Bite also provides training to each employer to help them appropriately guide the employee while the support worker will help facilitate appraisal processes and employee progress.
Today we’re sharing Patrick’s story to highlight how the programme has had a positive impact on his life and in turn added value to the services we provide to the people of Edinburgh. A video on this is available on the Council’s Instagram account.
In October, the prestigious ‘Parking in the Community Award’ was also awarded to the Council, NSL and Social Bite at the British Parking Awards, recognising this important work.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said:
Homelessness is one of the key challenges that we face in our city and I’m incredibly proud of the work that is ongoing between our services and Social Bite on the Jobs First programme.
Behind every case of homelessness is an individual story and Patrick’s shows what can be achieved when the right support is in place. Gainful employment is about so much more than simply earning a wage. It’s a route to rebuild a life with confidence, social relationships and other transferrable skills.
I’m hopeful that this relationship with Social Bite will continue for many years to come and that we can help more individuals like Patrick to overcome these difficulties and lessen the impact of homelessness in Edinburgh as much as we can.
Emma Colgan-Blair, Social Bite’s Jobs First Programme Coordinator, said:
Over the past three years, Social Bite’s partnership with NSL and the City of Edinburgh Council through the Jobs First programme has helped people affected by homelessness build brighter futures. With a shared ethos of creating pathways to employment, together we’ve been able to support many individuals like Patrick to achieve financial stability, career growth, and personal transformation. This collaboration shows the life-changing impact of offering people from all walks of life the right support and opportunities.
Keith Hanshaw, Group Managing Director of NSL, said:
Marston Holdings have been supporting Social Bite since 2022. We work closely with them in Edinburgh and across the UK to support those who have experienced homelessness through meaningful permanent employment opportunities. Social Bite were also voted internally to be one of our two Christmas reward sponsors. We have employed numerous people like Patrick and look to continue to do so for many years to come. We are really proud of the impact this makes on our local communities.
About Social Bite:
Social Bite started as a small sandwich shop on Rose Street in Edinburgh in August 2012 and has now grown to a major driving force in helping to break the cycle of homelessness in Scotland and across the UK. The charity employs people with a background of homelessness and has received visits from Hollywood superstars Leonardo DiCaprio and George Clooney. Social Bite is known for its innovative programmes, including the Social Bite Village and Jobs First, which aim to provide housing and employment opportunities to people affected by homelessness.
The charity has coffee shops across the UK, including London (on the Strand), Edinburgh (Rose Street), Aberdeen (Union Street) and Glasgow (Sauchiehall Street), each offering free food services for people who are experiencing homelessness. Last year, Social Bite also opened a coffee shop in Strathclyde University which offers students and the general public to ‘Pay It Forward’ at the campus coffee shop.
The ‘Pay It Forward’ scheme, which allows customers to directly help someone in need with the simple purchase of a coffee or meal, is at the heart of Social Bite’s success. When customers visit any Social Bite location, they can choose to pay it forward by buying an extra item which will be passed on to someone experiencing homelessness.
On 6th February 2025, Social Bite will host its third Impact Conference in Edinburgh. Hear from experts, academics and people with lived experience as they discuss the pivotal role work plays in helping to break the cycle of homelessness. Through inspiring talks, panel discussions and networking the day will explore findings from research into Jobs First and celebrate three years of the programme. For more information and tickets, please email info@social-bite.co.uk.
About NSL:
NSL (part of Marston Holdings) is the UK’s leading provider of parking enforcement services. With over 4000 highly trained frontline colleagues, parking professionals, comprehensive back office and customer support services along with access to the latest technologies, we can shape the entire parking environment to balance the needs of all users and maximise compliance. We work with over 60 councils nationwide including Edinburgh, Northern Ireland, Manchester, Birmingham, Somerset and many London boroughs.
NSL works in partnership with the public and private sectors to make the UK a safer, fairer and better place to live and work. We are trusted to help clients to innovate and improve services to deliver better outcomes.
We provide frontline, back office and customer support services to design and manage places used by the public and provide national enforcement expertise at our borders and infrastructure.