James Bianco is out to help homeless people pick themselves up off the streets with an employment scheme.

Mr Bianco, 24, has taken out a £40,000 bank loan to finance Aspire, a none-profit company which will pay homeless people £150 a week to distribute gift catalogues to homes in Brighton and Hove.

The catalogues will carry the slogan, "Not just another catalogue, someone else's opportunity: don't throw it away".

Six to eight homeless people, including those living in hostels, will be employed on six-month contracts.

Aspire will teach them basic literacy, numeracy and information technology skills and encourage them to move on to jobs with local employers.

Mr Bianco, who was raised in Brighton, had planned to work abroad but, while studying for a postgraduate diploma in economics at Sussex University, he noticed a niche in the market for helping the homeless get back to work. He plans to launch the scheme next month.

Mr Bianco, who now lives in Hove, said: "At the moment 85 to 90 per cent of people who have been homeless never manage to obtain full-time employment. So we are helping a needy group to change their lives.

"This is not just another worthy social project. We are approaching it from a business point of view and we have a genuine product to sell.

"In the way the Big Issue does get people buying it through sympathy, some people will probably buy from the catalogues through sympathy. But we want people to be selfish and buy things for themselves and keep a copy of the catalogue by the fridge for when it's Aunt Flo's birthday and you've forgotten to buy her a present."

Aspire is based on a similar scheme piloted in Bristol. The Brighton and Hove's branch has been backed by Prince Charles and the Government's homeless tsar Louise Casey.

It is one of four local organisations for the homeless being supported by the Begging for Change scheme which aims to discourage the public giving directly to beggars.

It is intended to complement the work of other organisations for the homeless in Brighton and Hove, including the Big Issue and St Patrick's Trust which provides accommodation and education classes.

Aspire employees must be free of drugs and alcohol. They will wear navy uniforms and carry identity badges. Although they will package, distribute and collect the catalogues, orders and money will be handled by volunteers and all products will be delivered within five days.

The catalogues will sell items including silver jewellery, kits and children's puzzles.

Within a year, Mr Bianco hope the catalogues will contain products made by local artists and designers.

He said: "If the community does not support Aspire, it won't work. If they do not see we have a problem with homelessness here and that we need to move people on, it will fail."

To order a catalogue call freephone number 0808 100 2201 and to find out about volunteering for Aspire call Mr Bianco on 01273 622566.