Iulian, who today is employed as a Junior Sous Chef at Scott’s in Mayfair, was presented with a plaque to commemorate the achievement by the Only A Pavement Away team, Johanna Wimmer, People Engagement Manager at The Ivy Collection and Caprice Holdings, and David McCarthy, Head Chef at Scott’s, at a ceremony on Monday.

Iulian had been made homeless in November 2018 after living in accommodation provided by a new employer who said rent would be deducted directly from his wages. Sadly, his wages never came and after working unpaid for six weeks he was told to leave the property. After sleeping rough for several weeks, Iulian was helped by StreetLink who supported him into Crisis at Christmas. In mid-January he moved into a Caritas Anchor Assessment Hub, 6 weeks later he received the keys to his new home at Caritas Anchor House.

Having previously worked in the hospitality industry, Iulian’s social worker directed him to Only A Pavement Away, who helped him with his CV and prepared him for interviews with registered employer partners of the charity. In February 2019 Iulian was hired as a kitchen porter at The Ivy St John’s Wood, after just four and a half months in the role, he progressed to commis chef and 4 years later, is proud to be working as a Junior Sous at Scott’s Mayfair.

On his Only A Pavement Away journey Iulian said, “When you go from being homeless to moving in to your new home and being given a chance to forge a new career, it’s a feeling I can’t easily describe. Looking over the last 4 years, I am so proud, and know I have accomplished something amazing. Cooking is something that I really love and I’m so grateful to everyone who’s helped me get to where I am in my career.”

Johanna Wimmer said: “Iulian is an invaluable member of our team at Scott’s, and it has been a joy to see his confidence grow and progress in his career over the last 4 years. We were delighted to promote him to Junior Sous this year and everyone is excited to see how Iulian develops further in the role.

Cases such as Iulian’s demonstrate how vital the work Only A Pavement Away is both for the charity’s members and for the employers.”

 Since the charity’s founding, 5 years ago, Only A Pavement Away has placed over 300 members like Iulian into roles in the hospitality sector and aims to dramatically ramp up over the next 5 years, with the target of placing 5,000 people into meaningful employment over this timeframe.