Tackling Multiple Disadvantage in London by Improving Employability

Funded by the European Social Fund, under their Equal Community Initiative, our TMD London programme targeted individuals facing multiple disadvantage in the labour market who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, in temporary accommodation or have been recently resettled.  An exciting programme of services and innovations, TMD London tested a number of new methods of supporting these individuals to improve their employability.

The focus was on producing evidence of successful outcomes that could influence future policy and practice, and bring effective change. As a result, our programme was designed to have the maximum impact - it focused on quality and innovation, rather than the number of outcomes and outputs.

The programme was delivered by a diverse and expert partnership of agencies from the Public, Private and Voluntary sectors:

Cardboard Citizens | Connection at St Martins | Depaul Trust | East Thames | FEANTSA | Greater London Authority | Groundswell UK | Homeless Link | Kensington and Chelsea Volunteer Bureau | Prospectus | Race on the Agenda | Southwark Volunteer Centre | St Mungo’s | Thames Reach | Wandsworth Voluntary Sector Development Agency | Westminster Volunteer Centre |

Developing TMD London (September 2004 to June 2005)

During the development phase, we gathered information, conducted any necessary research, and finalised project plans prior to the commencement of delivery. All surveys, studies, research and other documents produced during the development phase are available to download from the OSW Online Library, including:

Baseline assessment for the OSW-led EQUAL Development Partnership (2005) - Research study on how to “achieve and maintain new and supported routes to employment for those who face multiple disadvantage in the labour market, who fail to engage effectively with mainstream programmes and face multiple barriers of discrimination due to being homeless, at risk of homelessness or in vulnerable accommodation.”

TMD London Summary (2005) - Summary paper highlighting how the TMD London Delivery Partnership, intends to find solutions that empower individuals to make informed choices, and test routes out of inactivity and unemployment.

FEANTSA and OSW Participation Audit (2005) - The aim of this audit was to obtain an overview of participation across Europe; to identify some good or innovative practices in this area, to examine the opinions, approaches and concerns that prevail in relation to participation among homelessness service providers and to identify common barriers to participation.

Delivering TMD London (July 2005 to December 2007)

Over the two and a half year period, eight key project strands delivered innovative pilot programmes. For more information on what each project has delivered and achieved, visit each individual project page, on the menu on the left hand-side.

Mainstreaming TMD London (January 2006 to December 2007)

TMD London has been designed so its actions influence policy developments, and make sure that policy makers learn lessons from its activities. This process is called mainstreaming.

The object of our mainstreaming strategy is to promote the expansion and replication of successful projects.  All mainstreaming documents, good practice guides and toolkits are currently available on each individual project page, as well as on our Online Library (search under "TMD London").

Our aim is to produce and promote a new model of service delivery, drawing on the lessons learnt from our Equal pilots. This model - 'The Right Deal for Homeless People' - identifies what services need to be delivered, and how they should be delivered, to address the multiple barriers that homeless people face in trying to access sustainable employment. It also identifies how much the services cost. For more information go to the Right Deal section of this site.