What my work with the homeless taught me about management

Harvey Lane is a relatively nondescript suburban street in Moulton, Northamptonshire. But if you approach it in the right direction, you may spot a mud hut.

Sol Haven Community Farm has created a sustainable permaculture in this little corner of the country, but the farm itself has a greater community purpose. It offers homeless and vulnerable people a chance to learn new skills and undertake nature-based treatment for their mental health issues, offering nature, drumming and craft therapy, cooking classes and meditation sessions.

During the pandemic, it proved a lifeline for many people left isolated in an extraordinarily difficult and potentially traumatic period, resulting in Sol Haven receiving a Prime Minister’s Points of Light award.

Sol Haven is a project close to the hearts of its co-founders, Sammuel Yisrael CMgr MCMI and Natasha Caton. They decided to start the farm after discovering that they had both been homeless at one point in their lives.

Sammuel, a CMI member, is an aerospace engineer and manager in addition to his community work. Despite having a well-paid job, he found himself living out of his car after his marriage ended. With his mental health and self-esteem at an all-time low, he tried to preserve a veneer of normalcy in his day job.