About us
Reaching People brings together frontline delivery partners from the Voluntary and Community Sector in Leicester, Leicestershire, and Rutland. Working together, we develop and provide high quality contract delivery, business and funding opportunities in fields that include health and well being, homelessness, advice and guidance, education and training, and community services.
Reaching People aims to facilitate the joint delivery by its members of contract, business and funding opportunities. We have developed strong working relationships with strategic partner organisations based across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and have delivered some very successful contracts:
2013 – June 2016 Six Reaching People member organisations came together to deliver comprehensive advice and guidance support to service users recovering from drug and/or alcohol use as part of the Leicester Recovery Partnership programme.
2013 – late 2016 Reaching People members were key deliverers of the Moneywise programme, making financial expertise more accessible to those in need.
The Moneywise Plus programme, which we have been delivering since October 2016, builds on the success of the previous Moneywise programme and assists people not just with financial advice and information but also in becoming more confident with using digital technology to help with money management and job search.
The Board of Trustees is working with members to build on the framework of existing contracts to bring their wide expertise and knowledge to help more people across the city, county and Rutland.
Q: Who are the Reaching People member organisations?
You can view all our members at – Our members
Q: Can anyone join?
Any not-for-profit organisation can apply. There are precise criteria for acceptance, including being local to Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland and meeting all the requirements to deliver a public sector contract. Non-eligible organisations may become associate members.
Q: Is Reaching People a charity? When was it set up, and how large is it?
Reaching People is actually the trading name of a charity, Leicestershire Voluntary Sector Resource Agency, registered charity number: 1072595 and a company limited by guarantee, number 3576786. LVSRA merged with Reaching People in June 2013.
The central charity is, compared with its impact, relatively small. Its total income for the most recent trading year was £127,000. However, the aggregate turnover of its 28 members was around £336m.
Q: Is the structure unbalanced, with such a small core team at the heart of so many delivery organisations?
No. That’s a common question based on a misunderstanding of the nature of the co- ordinating team. This is just the essential co-ordinating infrastructure that oils the wheels for the operation. It is not a delivery or even a project management mechanism. When a project is devised, a management team will be established which has all the functions and all the personnel appropriate to the size and scope of the project.
Q: How often do Reaching People members meet?
That is up to them, and the work. On a project, contact and meetings will be driven by client need. In addition, there are very many informal contacts between members in the course of a year—sharing ideas, information and resources. We also have four scheduled members’ meetings a year, one of which is the AGM. Meetings typically have a guest speaker and an opportunity for members to profile their work.
Q: How much does membership cost?
Payment relates to the annual income of your organisation. Email your query to us at admin@reachingpeople.co.uk so we can advise appropriately.
For more information on Reaching People consortium, don’t hesitate to contact us.
We will be pleased to answer your questions and tell you more about our achievements.