One of the country's best-known retailers is helping homeless people in Brighton and Hove into employment.
Marks & Spencer has been offering work placements in its Western Road store to help homeless people develop the skills and experience necessary to find long-term employment.
Three people have just completed a two-week placement.
They were attached to a "buddy" and did the same tasks as other employees.
They were also given advice on how to write a CV and one-to-one coaching on job interview techniques.
Anna Fletcher, human resources manager for the Brighton, Crawley and Eastbourne stores, said: "It has been a fantastic success.
"There were three in this initial batch and they successfully completed the placement, which is great news because you would normally expect some people to drop out.
"It's a good way for us to give something back to the community but it's more about helping homeless people to break the cycle of 'no home, no job' which many have found themselves in.
"They might not have the means to get a job by themselves and that's why this scheme is so important."
Alan Raven, who was one of the three, said: "I really enjoyed the two weeks I was there.
"I was working in the menswear department, keeping the shelves full, pricing things up and being nice to people - just like the other staff."
He wanted to work in retail because it involved meeting people.
He has been in contact with Working Links and completing application forms for jobs in the city.
Alan has also received a reference from M&S.
He said: "That certificate is very important because it shows I'm good enough to do the job and, otherwise, companies might not believe me."
St Patrick's Trust, a Hove-based homeless charity and hostel, helped find candidates for the scheme.
Chief executive Stephen Sharpe said the programme was vital for people looking for work.
He said: "Nowhere reputable is going to take on anyone unless they have a reference but another problem for homeless people is that people make assumptions about them - that they're into drink or drugs, or that they won't turn up to work on time - and it's important to remedy this.
"A reference says, 'Yes, this person is competent so don't ignore them'.
"It's incredibly difficult for some of these people to find work.
"It's not just about them not having a home address - it's about whether they can cope with situations most of us take for granted.
"They need to be able to work under instruction and they need to be able to follow rules and regulations.
"They also need to know the things we take for granted, such as how to present yourself on a day-to-day basis."
As well as helping people find work, the trust focuses on stabilising people's lives before encouraging them to move forward.
It has its own learning centre to encourage people to develop new or existing skills.
Stephen said: "People like you and me are capable of responding to opportunities when they arise but a lot of homeless people aren't, even when those opportunities are right in front of their face.
"It's essential they receive the right kind of support.
"This programme is perfect because it's a relatively gentle introduction to the world of work and a good way to help people make the transition from being homeless to being a valuable colleague."
Marks & Spencer is running the scheme in 13 areas across the UK and aims to help about 600 homeless people back into work by next year.
The initiative forms part of the Ready for Work programme run by Business in the Community (BITC), whose president is the Prince of Wales.
BITC was formed in 1982 by a number of blue-chip companies, including Marks & Spencer, seeking to promote social responsibilities among major corporations.
A further four candidates will begin placements at the end of this month and if they are successful should have a good chance of finding employment.
Once trainees have successfully completed the scheme, they are given help through the Ready for Jobs programme to find permanent employment.
Ready for Jobs is an online job bank which lists vacancies for "job-ready" people.
Ms Fletcher said: "If suitable jobs crop up at Marks & Spencer we'd be more than happy to consider employing them."
For more details, contact: St Patrick's Trust on 01273 733151 or Business in the Community on 0870 6002482.
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