From Paper Cup to coffee cup… Liverpool’s Paper Cup Project has supported rough sleepers for four years and is now set to offer a path to training and employment for homeless and vulnerable people

For four years the volunteers of Liverpool’s Paper Cup Project (PCP) have worked tirelessly through all weathers to offer food, clothing and support to rough sleepers on the city’s streets.

Now the charity is to broaden its scope with a new plan to help homeless people in Liverpool to access training and employment via a new coffee shop it is set to open in the city centre.

Working directly with the homeless community and local training providers, the coffee shop will offer training opportunities to homeless or vulnerably housed people in Liverpool. Its aim is to build skills and confidence to get them back into the workplace.

PCP has earned many deserved plaudits for its work to date. Earlier this year the charity was named as a finalist in The Echo Awards for their work. Founder Michelle Langan said: “Paper Cup Coffee is the next stage of our journey, and will offer an opportunity to our homeless that doesn’t currently exist in Liverpool.

“For someone who has been homeless for months or even years, the thought of returning to the workplace can be terrifying. We will be there every step of the way to give people the support that they need.

“A coffee shop is a perfect way to ease someone back in, as it is an opportunity to chat every day to different people and build up confidence. We also hope that the venture will challenge people’s stereotypes towards homeless people.

“There is still a lot of stigma around homelessness, and we work hard as a charity to tackle this. COVID-19 has meant that we have had to rethink how we work, but our team are all really excited about bringing this idea to life.”

The charity is being supported by Homeless Link to develop the coffee shop, working alongside another 20 similar organisations across the country. PCP is crowdfunding via the Aviva Community Fund to raise money for equipment and premises.

Click here to donate to the project and click here to find out more about the charity and its work.