Bristol Together: 'You have to invest in people for the long term'

Construction industry | The Guardian

Bristol Together: 'You have to invest in people for the long term'

A construction business that employs ex-offenders

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Because of their criminal record, many ex-offenders find it difficult to find employment; trapped in a vicious cycle, they end up reoffending. To tackle this, Paul Harrod founded Bristol Together, a social business that employs ex-offenders to renovate empty properties.

Harrod had previously co-founded Aspire, a social enterprise that employs the homeless, ex-offenders and other people who are long-term unemployed to do maintenance and gardening jobs. "I've always had real interest in this area and a belief that meaningful paid employment is the route to recovery," he says, emphasising that Bristol Together offers full-time, permanent jobs: "You have to invest in people for the long term."

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