Fat Macy's

Who we are

Fat Macy’s is a social enterprise that helps people to move on from temporary accommodation and build a stable life. We do this through a culinary and hospitality training programme combined with tailored, holistic support around wellbeing, employment and sustaining a tenancy.

Through our work experience programme, trainees learn valuable skills and experience, learning alongside the professional chefs and front of house teams in our restaurant and catering business. Trainees are supported by their Progression and Engagement Officer who provides 1:1 coaching, based on their individual needs, around navigating challenges, harnessing their strengths and building their confidence.

After 200 hours, trainees can access a grant to put down a deposit on rented accommodation – with ongoing support around the transition into independent living. So far, our programme has worked with more than 90 participants from hostels, provided more than 8,500 hours of work experience and moved 12 trainees into their own homes.

By providing a pathway into employment and the support to build a life that everyone deserves, we are helping to break the cycle of homelessness in the UK.

Founded in 2016, we have been funded by the National Lottery, UnLtd, and the Paul Hamlyn Foundation among many other generous supporters. Our work has been featured in the Observer, the BBC, the New Statesman, VICE and Time Out. 

Our culture and values

We’re a dynamic team working across the social enterprise. All team members uphold our Fat Macy’s values:

We strive for equity

Every person has different life experiences and access to opportunities. We recognise this imbalance as a team, both in wider society and in our organisation. Striving for equity means ensuring that extra support is given to those who have been under-supported in the past, and welcoming people as equals no matter their role, area of work, or background.

We focus on strengths

We focus on an individual’s strengths. When working with team members and trainees, we look for abilities, talents, resources and resilience that can be harnessed for personal development. In particular we help trainees to find and use often overlooked strengths to address challenges they face. As an organisation we support everyone to grow by building on their capabilities.

We cultivate empathy

Empathy plays a central role not just in supporting trainees but in how we work as a team. We try to put ourselves in other people’s shoes to make better decisions and build better relationships both at work and in life. We seek to understand how others feel in difficult situations and be mindful of the added pressures and struggles others may face. Cultivating empathy doesn’t mean we shy away from hard conversations. We give fair and honest feedback when it’s required, but always deliver it with the other person’s feelings in mind.

We empower others

We believe that a key part of motivation is having agency. In the team we strive for a culture of trust and encourage people to act autonomously, with appropriate support and direction, to meet the goals of the organisation. With trainees, we empower them to take charge of their future, career and tenancy so they can create positive change for themselves. Anyone in the organisation can have a say in how Fat Macy’s operates.

We’re continually improving

We are constantly learning as a team and we use data and experience to guide our business and programme decisions. We regularly reflect on what works and what doesn’t, rather than following the status quo. We use our size to our advantage to stay nimble and adapt quickly. When the evidence supports it, we’re not afraid to make bold, decisive changes in order to do better for our trainees, as a charity and as a business.