Aroundtown Magazine November/December 2022 Edition

Aroundtown MEETS
meets
Labre’s Hope
Aaron
The overwhelming smell of patchouli and lavender in the air tells
us we’re in the right place. But we could never have anticipated
the impact of stepping through this unassuming door on a back
street in Parkgate.
Like Alice being lured down the rabbit hole,
we follow our noses and wind up in some sort
of wonderland of colour and scent. But there’s
nothing nonsensical about it.
We’re at the home of Labre’s Hope, a
community interest company that has a pragmatic
solution to ending homelessness – one bar of
ethically made soap at a time.
The founders behind Labre’s Hope are
revolutionary risk takers, willing to give people
a chance of a clean slate when others have
washed their hands of them. Two young lads still
in their early twenties, Aaron Probert and Joash
Nelson Piercy could teach us all a thing or two
about compassion.
Their soapmaking workforce have all
experienced homelessness and its cyclical
relationship with employment. They’ve previously
been considered unemployable, overlooked for
jobs due to having no fixed address, scant work
history and gaps in their CV.
“We’re seen as outliers, broken pieces that
can’t fit together. Everyone is a unique piece, but
not everyone fits the puzzle. It doesn’t mean we’re
useless,” says employee Danny, who has recently
been promoted to trainee manager.
Personal crisis is often cited as the reason for
someone ending up homeless, but entrenched
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stereotypes mean people facing homelessness
are written off as lacking the capacity, skills or
knowledge needed to work.
Nobody should be denied reaching their full
potential because they don’t have a home. People
like Danny have a hunger to turn things around
and a determination to prove others wrong. They
might not seem like the right candidate on paper,
but by holding someone’s past against them
employers don’t realise the talent they’re missing
out on.
Labre’s Hope is a place for growth, creating a
community that is moving onward. Since opening
for business in February, Aaron and Joash have
already seen a huge change in the confidence of
their staff.
“The transformation has been phenomenal,”
Aaron says. “There were some people who barely
said a word on day one and a month later we
couldn’t shut them up. We wanted the workshop
to be an informal, happy, no-pressure environment
to help those who have been away from the labour
market for a long time realise that work doesn’t
have to be scary or intimidating.”
Aaron and Joash worked hard to convert the
12,000 square-foot building into somewhere
welcoming and motivating. Stark, white walls
have been given a vibrant makeover, with bright
“
I didn’t realise you could
make a career out of
helping people, but I knew
that’s what I wanted to do
with my life.
”
colours and a bold mural adoring the office space
and workshop. There’s even a cool coffee bar
breakout area downstairs that has a buzz of
laughter in the air.
As we’re taken on a tour of the rabbit warrenesque
building, one thing is clear: everyone who
steps through the door is happy to be there.
Maybe it’s the joyous surroundings, but the more
we talk the clearer it becomes that employees at
Labre’s Hope are actively encouraged to work
on themselves while at work to recover from any
trauma and rebuild their confidence.
Alongside offering stable employment and
National Living Wage salaries, Labre’s Hope have
partnered with external organisations Crisis and
South Yorkshire Housing Association to provide
wraparound workplace and wellbeing sessions to
all staff. Joash is responsible for managing these
sessions that cover everything from IT skills to job
coaching and healthy living in a bid to help staff