Charity founder calls for action on student homelessness

The founder of charity Social Bite, a movement to end homelessness, has called for greater support for students at risk of homelessness as the charity launched a series of cafes in universities and colleges across the United Kingdom, reports Scottish Housing News.

A new partnership will see Social Bite-branded cafes serve coffee supplier Matthew Algie’s Elevator blend, with around 10% of profits from coffee sold donated to the charity and social enterprise’s ongoing work to end homelessness. The move comes after a recent report revealed a shortage of more than 25,000 student bed spaces in Scotland. Co-authored by bodies including the University of Glasgow, University of Stirling and CIH Scotland, the report for a cross-party group on housing found there is a ‘severe’ student housing crisis in cities including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Dundee.

Social Bite founder Josh Littlejohn MBE explained that students from low-income backgrounds, international students and students who are estranged from their families, where financial support from family or caregivers is not always possible, are most at risk.
Full report on the Scottish Housing News site