Minister for Employability and Training Jamie Hepburn said: “People affected by homelessness, who have criminal convictions or suffer from mental ill-health face significant barriers to finding work, and it can be challenging to balance the search for a job with the need to access other important services.
“These 13 new projects will join together employability and skills support with health and social care, housing, and justice services which will improve the quality of localised support available for people across the country.
“The work of these projects ties in with the fairer approach we are taking to deliver our newly devolved employment services, where we have removed the threat of sanctions and are providing support that is more flexible, tailored and responsive to people’s needs.”
Mr Hepburn announced the investment in Dundee. Funding of around £275,000 will go to a Tayside regional project to integrate employability and skills with housing, healthy living and community justice across Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Angus.
John Alexander leader of Dundee City Council said: “I am delighted that our joint bid to support people across the Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross area has been successful.
“We know that not having a job is only part of the challenge facing some people and this money will allow us to help them to overcome other issues around getting into employment including health, debt and housing.
“Specialist staff will be on hand to give support and advice as part of a 13-week programme, backed by the councils in Angus, Dundee and Perth and Kinross, while people are also learning new skills in applying for jobs, such as digital applications and improved interview techniques.”
Edinburgh’s initiative is the Joined Up for Jobs Integration Project, which will be operated by the city council’s arms-length employability organisation Capital City Partnership.
The project aims to ‘integrate the work of health and social care, housing and criminal justice by having a one year localities integration team to co-ordinate all activity working with a social care team, targeting social housing residents to engage with employability services, and implementing framework around Community in Motion pilot which aims to address the problems of low persistent re-offending’.
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