Leicester-based homeless charity, The Bridge Homelessness to Hope, has received a donation of IT equipment from University Hospitals Leicester (UHL), in collaboration with its service provider, NTT DATA UK.
As part of a reprovisioning scheme, UHL has donated eight laptops and two iPads to the charity, with the licencing, configuration and deployment work being undertaken by the NTT DATA UK team. The equipment will be used primarily on the charity’s Skills Day which is an opportunity for Leicester’s homeless community to take part in a variety of skills-based learning such as ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages), CV writing, interview techniques and food safety.
The donated IT equipment will mean that more service users have access to the technology they need to learn new skills, gain qualifications, or seek employment.
Andy Carruthers, Chief Information Officer at Leicester’s Hospitals, said: “As a local hospital, it’s important that we not only try to improve the lives of our patients but also others across the city where we can and I’m pleased we have been able to support The Bridge Homeless to Hope charity recently.
“We were able to donate several decommissioned laptops and iPads which despite no longer being suitable for use in our hospitals still had some life in them for other uses. I hope this small one-off gesture from Leicester’s Hospitals can help improve the lives of the homeless community in the city.”
David Fawcett, Executive Operations Manager at The Bridge Homelessness to Hope said: “We’re so grateful to UHL for the donation of the laptops and iPads. Lack of access to this kind of technology is one of the many barriers that the homeless community faces when trying to improve their situation.
“The donations will be of huge benefit to our service users and will hopefully help them to access training and employment.”
