Thames Reach chairman Ken Olisa has been awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his work in tackling homelessness in London.
Ken Olisa has been chairman of Thames Reach since 1996 during which time the homelessness charity has helped tens of thousands of homeless people to turn their lives around.
Outside of the world of homelessness, Ken was named one of the UK’s top ten most influential black men in the Powerlist 2010. He is the first British black man to serve on the board of a major UK company and is the founder of technology merchant bank Restoration Partners; a director of Thomson Reuters and of the Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation. Ken was recently appointed to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, the body charged with managing MP’s expenses, pay and pensions.
His interest in homelessness stemmed from him moving back to Britain after a spell in the States in the 1990’s and being horrified at the high numbers of people sleeping rough.
Bringing his business expertise to bear, he helped homelessness charities such as Thames Reach bring about a large reduction in the numbers of people sleeping rough in the capital. He has worked closely with Thames Reach Chief Executive Jeremy Swain, the Government’s Department for Communities and Local Government and Homes and Community Agency, and the Mayor of London Boris Johnson in the drive to end rough sleeping in the capital by 2012.
Ken Olisa said: “I am very proud of the Thames Reach team – leadership, staff, volunteers and service users. Together we have justified confidence in our vision of ending homelessness in London.
“We know it is about much more than simply providing soup or shelter. We know that people want to be independent of drugs, alcohol and handouts and thanks to the support of the Department for Communities and Local Government we are opening an employment academy which will help people in our local communities find the key to independence – work.
“We also know that we need to work in partnership and I am delighted that we are working closely with the Mayor’s London Delivery Board. Back in the 1990’s many people lived in shanty towns in places like Lincoln Inn Fields and the Waterloo Bullring. Those days are behind us thanks to the provision of outreach and safe accommodation but we now need to take the next step of completely ending street homelessness in London once and for all.”
Ends
Notes to editor
1) Thames Reach is one of the UK’s leading homelessness charities. Its ultimate goal is to end street homelessness. It runs a range of services to help rough sleepers off the streets, accommodation including hostels and supported housing projects, and innovative schemes which help people develop new skills, re-engage with family and friends, and get back into work. Last year it helped 7,393 people.
See www.thamesreach.org.uk
2) For further details contact Thames Reach communications manager, Mike Nicholas, on 07816 113420 or 0207 702 5646. mike.nicholas@thamesreach.org.uk
