For a small charity like ours, building relationships with local businesses helps increase the support we can provide for those experiencing homelessness in Cambridge. It also enables those businesses to make a real difference and gain a deeper understanding of the issues.
Over the past few years, we have enjoyed developing one such relationship with leading property consultants Bidwells. 2025 saw this strengthen significantly, moving beyond ad‑hoc support and volunteering to a more collaborative, relationship led model.
The partnership evolved through regular engagement, including participation in joint working discussions, volunteering planning sessions, and community events. This has helped align Bidwells’ people, skills and volunteering capacity with our most pressing needs, ensuring support was targeted where it could have the greatest impact.
Bidwells staff supported ITAC through a range of initiatives, including practical volunteering activities, participation in community campaigns such as the Christmas Giving Tree, and skills based support including pro bono input to digital projects.
Our CEO, Lis Silver said “It is great to see this relationship, which started in a small way, develop so quickly into long term support. Partnering with BIdwells has enabled us to take advantage of their professional skills, practical support and generous donations to help create pathways out of homelessness”.
These activities complemented Bidwells’ wider volunteering programme, which provides all employees with two paid volunteering days each year to support causes in their local communities.
The relationship is intentionally two-way. ITAC have engaged with Bidwells teams to raise awareness of homelessness in Cambridge, share insight into local challenges, and explore how businesses can play a meaningful role in long‑term solutions.
This collaborative approach has helped embed social value more deeply into Bidwells’ culture, rather than treating community engagement as a one-off activity.
Bidwells continues to work closely with us to identify future opportunities, including expanded volunteering, staff engagement sessions, and deeper involvement in projects supporting people moving from street homelessness into safe, secure accommodation.
If you would like to find out more about how your business can join Bidwells and others in supporting our mission to end homelessness in Cambridge, please contact us at info@itac.org.uk We’re ready to start the conversation.
