7th March 2017: A town centre social enterprise will continue its street drinking project as a result of Luton Business Improvement District (BID) funding.

Luton BID awarded NOAH Enterprise £20,000 in September last year to fund their Street Drinker Outreach Programme. The project included two outreach workers whose role was to help disadvantaged and vulnerable people off the streets and tackle anti-social behaviour, street drinking and begging.

The BID’s backing had a positive impact on NOAH Enterprise’s Sept-Nov 2016 targets with 53 street drinkers being moved out of the town centre, 13 homeless people being found accommodation and 17 people referred into an alcohol treatment programme.

Significantly, the BID’s support has also contributed towards NOAH Enterprise gaining formal funding to continue as a viable and sustainable social enterprise into the future.

Jim O’Connor MBE, Chief Executive, NOAH Enterprise said: “The funding by Luton BID in support of our Street Drinker Outreach Programme enabled us to continue work to the end of last year and deliver significant results in reducing anti-social  behaviour, street drinking and begging in Luton town centre, while seeking solutions for the people involved.

“This has led to the formal commissioning of the programme by Luton Borough Council as part of their Alcohol and Drug Recovery Service. We will now partner with the social care and health charity ‘Change, Grow, Live’ (CGL) to deliver the Council’s service over the next five years and we are grateful to the Luton BID team for the part they played in making this possible.”

Chad Sonara, director of Luton BID and store manager of Luton town centre’s Debenhams, said: “Our support of NOAH Enterprise’s project fits with the BID’s commitment to ensuring our town centre is accessible and appealing, with a safe and attractive environment for businesses and visitors. We are delighted that our funding has had such a positive impact in helping to move people into the community and employment, and we are pleased that NOAH Enterprise will now continue to deliver results for Luton Borough Council as a sustainable social enterprise well into the future.”

For more information on Luton BID and its various events and initiatives throughout the town centre, please visit the BID website www.lutontowncentre.org  or contact a member of the BID team by calling 01582 510657 or emailing info@lutonbid.org.

March 7th, 2017Press Releases

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