To gain a greater understanding of the complex issues surrounding homelessness, Specsavers CEO John Perkins has been seeing first-hand how national partnerships with frontline organisations, including Big Issue, Crisis and Vision Care for Homeless People (VCHP), are developing. Visiting a Crisis at Christmas centre in London, where the charity takes over hotels to provide temporary accommodation and offer support services, John helped out in the canteen and met with volunteers and residents.
In Bristol, he joined VCHP, which has been supported by Specsavers for over a decade, with co-founder Dame Mary Perkins a patron of the charity.
Specsavers has been working with VCHP and Expert Focus – with “experts by experience” who have all been homeless at some point in their lives – since last May to help inform and shape its access to care initiatives, such as community outreach and in-store out-of-hours clinics.
John heard from the group about barriers encountered in accessing healthcare, and the group shared experiences of having an eye test at Specsavers in Merchant Street, Bristol. John also met up with the local Big Issue team and vendors Jack Osborne-Richardson, who sells the magazine on Park Street in Bristol, and Will Payne, who has since moved on from selling to another job in the city.
When they met, Jack explained to John how the Big Issue��
