Author: davepickering

Edinburgh reporter and photographer

Cancel the Cut: ONE HUNDRED organisations urge Prime Minister not to cut Universal Credit

The largest coalition of organisations to date on this issue has signed a joint open letter to the Prime Minster calling on him not to go ahead with the planned £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit, due to come into effect on 6 October.

The joint letter, coordinated by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, is signed by a wide range of 100 organisations that operate at a national level as well as in communities across the UK. Among the signatories are leading voices on health, education, children, housing, poverty, the economy and other aspects of public policy.

OPEN LETTER

Dear Prime Minister,

We are writing to collectively urge you not to go ahead with the planned £20-a-week cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit at the beginning of October.

Many of us provide frontline support in communities up and down our country and see first-hand the importance of our social security system. Life is full of crises that we cannot plan for, such as job loss or illness, and periods of lower earnings or caring responsibilities. We all need the security and stability of a strong lifeline, not just during a national crisis, but every day.

Imposing what is effectively the biggest overnight cut to the basic rate of social security since World War II will pile unnecessary financial pressure on around 5.5 million families, both in and out of work.

At the start of the pandemic, the Chancellor rightly said that he was introducing the £20 increase to “strengthen the safety net” – a tacit admission that a decade of cuts and freezes had left it unfit to provide the support families need. We all strongly supported this crucial improvement in support.

We are at risk of repeating the same mistakes that were made after the last economic crisis, where our country’s recovery was too often not felt by people on the lowest incomes. The erosion of social security support was one of the main drivers of the rise in in-work and child poverty, and contributed to a soaring need for food banks, rising debt and worsening health inequalities.

We deeply regret that the Department for Work & Pensions has not published its assessment on the impact of cutting Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit. However, the latest independent analysis from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows it risks plunging 500,000 people into poverty, including 200,000 children. It will take the main rate of out of work support down to its lowest levels in real terms since around 1990.

This is not a question of having to choose between a recovery based on getting people into jobs or investing in social security, in fact most families impacted by this cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit are already in work. The reality of the UK labour market means that to improve living standards, we need to both improve job quality and strengthen the social security system. We also must never lose sight of the need to provide adequate support to families who are not able to work so they can meet their needs with dignity.

Six former Conservative Work & Pensions Secretaries believe previous cuts to social security spending went too far and oppose this cut, and your own Conservative MPs are warning that it will have deep and far-reaching effects in their constituencies.

Recent analysis from JRF shows that 413 parliamentary constituencies across Great Britain will see over a third of working-age families with children hit by the planned cut to Universal Credit and Working Tax Credit on 6 October 2021. Of these 413 constituencies, 191 are Conservative – 53 of which were newly won at the last general election or in a subsequent by-election.

This looming cut would fundamentally undermine the Government’s mission to level up. Citizens Advice has identified that people are one and a half times more likely to claim Universal Credit in places the Government has prioritised for levelling up investment. They also found for every £1 that could be invested from the Levelling Up Fund in England, £1.80 would be taken from these local economies if the Government presses ahead.

Furthermore, it is unacceptable that legacy benefits, such as Employment and Support Allowance, Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support, continue to be excluded from this crucial improvement in support, mostly impacting people who are sick, disabled or carers. 

We are rapidly approaching a national crossroads which will reveal the true depth of the Government’s commitment to improving the lives of families on the lowest incomes.

We all want a social security system that supports families to escape poverty rather than pulling them deeper into it. However, this cut risks causing immense, immediate, and avoidable hardship. A strong social security system is a crucial first step to building back better. We strongly urge you to make the right decision.

Yours sincerely,

Action For Children

Advice NI

APLE Collective

The Association of Charitable Organisations

Become

Bevan Foundation

The Big Issue

Bright Blue

The British Association of Social Workers

British Psychological Society

Business in the Community

Carers UK

Caritas Social Action Network

Centre for Cities

Centrepoint

Child Poverty Action Group

Children England

Christians Against Poverty

Church Action on Poverty

Citizens Advice

Citizens Advice Scotland

Citizens UK

Communities that Work

Crisis

Disability Benefits Consortium (a network of over 100 disability organisations)

Employment Related Services Association (ERSA)

End Child Poverty Coalition

End Furniture Poverty

The Equality Trust

The Faculty of Public Health

Family Fund

Feeding Britain

The Food Foundation

Generation Rent

Gingerbread, the charity for single parent families

Greater Manchester Poverty Action

The Health Foundation

Homeless Link

The Hygiene Bank

Independent Food Aid Network

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

Jubilee Debt Campaign

Learning and Work Institute

Little Village

Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales

Macmillan Cancer Support

Mental Health Foundation

Mind

Money Advice Trust

The MS Society

National AIDS Trust

National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT)

National Children’s Bureau

National Education Union

National Housing Federation

National Residential Landlords Association

National Survivor User Network

Neighbourly

New Economics Foundation

North East Child Poverty Commission

Northern Housing Consortium

Octavia

One Parent Families Scotland

Oxfam GB

PlaceShapers

Policy in Practice

The Poverty Alliance

The Poverty Truth Community

Rethink Mental Illness

RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People)

RNID

The Robertson Trust

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Royal Society for Public Health

The Runnymede Trust

The Salvation Army

Save the Children

Scope

Scottish Out of School Care Network

Shelter

St Mungo’s

Standard Life Foundation

StepChange

Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming

SVP Northern Ireland

Transforming Lives for Good (TLG)

The Trussell Trust

Trust for London

TUC (Trades Union Congress)

Turn2us

UCL Institute of Health Equity

UK Women’s Budget Group

Women’s Regional Consortium Northern Ireland

Working Families

Young Lives vs Cancer

Young Women’s Trust

Z2K

4in10 London’s Child Poverty Network

‘Council staff are worth more’ says UNISON as members are balloted on strike action

UNISON, Scotland’s largest local government union, has started to issue formal industrial action ballot papers in a dispute over pay.

COSLA, the umbrella body representing council employers, had previously offered staff earning less than £25,000 a flat rate rise of £800. Last week COSLA came back with a revised offer of £850 – working out at approximately 97p per week for the lowest paid staff.

The union says council staff who have kept services and schools running throughout the pandemic deserve a proper pay rise. They say the latest pay offer falls far short of their pay claim and does little to address low pay which has become endemic following a decade of austerity.

The trade union says that councils have suffered a decade of cuts and jobs losses, and that staff have received year-on-year pay cuts. It has meant delivering services has become increasingly stressful for the workforce.

Pressure is mounting on both COSLA leaders and the Scottish Government to find an urgent resolution to this issue.

UNISON intends to take targeted strike action, which means select groups of workers will be balloted. These include members working in school cleaning, school catering, school janitorial as well as those working in waste and recycling services.  

Tom Connolly, Branch secretary said: “The last 18 months have taken an enormous toll on council staff who have been working flat out for no reward. Their courage and sacrifices need to be rewarded, yet the employers are failing to recognise their efforts.

“These workers, mostly women, are amongst the lowest paid in the country and have seen their pay drop substantially in recent years. The pay offer falls far short of their colleagues in the NHS and local government workers are left feeling exhausted and undervalued. Scotland’s council workers deserve fair pay.”

Johanna Baxter, UNISON Scotland head of local government, said: “We’ve all relied on council staff to keep our communities clean and safe, protect the most vulnerable and to work in our schools throughout successive lockdowns to allow others to work.

“Without these workers going above and beyond to keep services running over the past year their colleagues in the NHS would have been left without childcare, our mortuaries would have been overwhelmed, our children would have been left without an education and our elderly would have been left without care.

“Yet to date they have received no reward or recognition of their efforts at all. It’s simply not good enough – our council staff are worth more.”

The ballot will run from 1 – 22 September 2021.

• Useful reading: https://unison-scotland.org/local-government-pay-ballot/

• One year of Covid Survey, a survey of UNISON members working in local government in Scotland. https:// www.unison-scotland.org/wp-content/uploads/LG-One-Yr-of-Covid-Survey-Report-April21-1.pdf

Armed robbery at second tanning salon – this time it’s D’ Mains

Detectives are appealing for information after a shop was robbed in Davidsons Mains.The robbery took place at a tanning salon in Main Street at around 11.40am yesterday (Wednesday, 1 September).

A man entered the shop and presented a knife at the shop assistant and demanded money. No-one was injured and he made off with a three-figure sum of money.

It’s the second tanning shop robbery in Edinburgh within days – a salon on Summer Place in Inverleith was robbed on Friday evening.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait of CID said: “Thankfully the member of staff working within the shop was unhurt, but extremely shocked by the incident.

“We are looking to trace a man described as being around 5’6” tall, of thin build. He was wearing a black beanie style hat, a black face mask, a black hooded top, black trousers rolled up to the knees and blue trainers.

“He left the shop on a BMX style bike, heading in the direction of Ferry Road.“We are carrying out a review of CCTV and I would appeal to anyone who was in the area to come forward. We would like to hear from motorists who have dash-cam, you may have captured something that could be of assistance to us.

“Anyone who has information that will assist this investigation is asked to contact us through 101 quoting reference number 1172 of 1 September, 2021. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”

Scottish Government to push for vaccination certification

“A threat hanging over the whole of the hospitality industry” – Scottish Licensed Trade Association

Coronavirus vaccination certificates will be required to enter certain events and higher risk venues, such as nightclubs, music festivals and some football grounds, if Parliament backs the move in a vote planned for next week.

While Covid cases continue to rise and to avoid as little disruption to the economy as possible, the Scottish Parliament will be asked to vote on the introduction of the certification scheme which will only be implemented once all adults have had the opportunity to receive both doses of the vaccine. Children and adults that are ineligible for vaccination will be exempt.

Proof of vaccination will be required later this month to enter:

  • nightclubs and adult entertainment venues
  • unseated indoor live events, with more than 500 people in the audience
  • unseated outdoor live events, with more than 4,000 people in the audience
  • any event, of any nature, which has more than 10,000 people in attendance

There are currently no plans to introduce certification for the wider hospitality industry but this will be kept under review over the autumn and winter months. 

From Friday (3 September), people will be able to download a PDF copy of their vaccination certificate, with a personalised QR code, to print off instantly or store on their mobile phone for use domestically or internationally. This is in addition to the existing paper letters that can be requested from NHS Inform and the CovidHelpline.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “We do not want to reimpose any of the restrictions that have been in place for much of this year as we all know how much harm they have caused to businesses, to education and to people’s general wellbeing but we must stem the rise in cases.

“In addition to measures such as free testing and the installation of CO2 monitors in schools, we believe that a limited use of vaccine certification in certain higher risk settings, could help us to keep businesses open and prevent any further restrictions as we head into autumn and winter.

“They will be for use in very limited settings and never for public services such as transport, hospitals and education. This is a significant step forward and not a decision we have taken lightly but it is in line with certification in other European countries.

“The original protective measures such as wearing a face covering, physical distancing, hand washing and isolating when necessary are still key to reducing prevalence of the virus but getting vaccinated remains the single most important step that any of us can take to keep ourselves and others safe.

“Ensuring that as many people as possible get vaccinated remains a key priority and the Scottish Government will continue to do everything we can to improve on the already high up take of the vaccine. We continue to urge anyone aged 16 and over to get vaccinated, please find your local drop-in clinic by visiting NHS Inform.”

THE announcement by the First Minister that the Scottish Government proposes to roll out vaccine certificates in nightclubs and larger event settings is a “threat hanging over the whole of the hospitality industry”, says the Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA).

Colin Wilkinson, SLTA managing director, said:- “Although the suggestion is that the wider hospitality industry will not be affected should the Scottish Government agree to the introduction of ‘Covid passports’ next week, it is a most unwelcome development for the licensed trade in general.

“But a simple question is: where is the evidence that this is required for nightclubs and what is a night club? We are seeing a large spike in infection rates following the general reopening of the economy when a number of sectors fully reopened and Scottish schools have been opened for two weeks, universities and colleges are about to open, but nightclubs alone have been targeted with the possible introduction of a Covid status certification system at this time.

“And what is a night club? With a wide variety of hybrid premises in the Scottish licensed trade market, how is this defined? Many pubs, bars and hotels are larger than nightclubs and offer various entertainments. Consultation with the industry before this announcement was made would have been helpful.

“If Covid status certification is to be introduced, any system must be easy to use for both businesses and members of the public.

“We await the finer details of how this scheme will work and will strive to work with the Scottish Government to ensure that their introduction, if that is what happens, is seamless and easy for all involved.”

House of Hearing: Over 60% of people can’t remember ever having had their hearing checked

Research commissioned by audiology experts at House of Hearing has revealed that even though the majority of Scots believe hearing is important to having a happy and healthy life, over 60% don’t remember ever having it checked.  

The research, which surveyed 209 people in Scotland between 26 and 27 July, including 28% from Edinburgh and the Lothians, asked the public how important hearing was for a happy and healthy life on a scale of 1-10.  

Over 70% gave it a score of 8 or higher, and just over a third (37%) responded with the highest value (10). Despite this, the survey found that 67% of people don’t remember having their hearing checked, while only 15% reported having it checked in the last 2-5 years.  

Additionally, when asked if they have noticed more problems with their hearing during the pandemic, 77% responded that they had noticed no further changes.  

Senior Audiologist Stuart Lyness, House of Hearing, said: “These results demonstrate that while people know how important hearing is to have a happy and fulfilled life, there seems to be hesitation when it comes to proactive care.  

“It’s great to see that so many people haven’t noticed a difference during the pandemic, but without regularly getting your hearing checked, you will never be 100% sure. Given this, we always recommend getting your hearing tested every 2 years, increasing this to every year after 70 years of age to ensure you aren’t missing out on any aspect of your life.”  

House of Hearing has been providing specialist hearing care for over 50 years, with free comprehensive hearing tests available at its new clinic on Melville Crescent.  

The new clinic is fully equipped to provide patients with access to the highest quality audiological facilities. The most comprehensive hearing tests and aural care is available in dedicated soundproof consulting rooms with fully qualified Audiologists using the latest equipment.   

House of Hearing also recently launched a new private ENT service, the first of its kind in Scotland, at its new clinic in Glasgow. This clinic will also be the first private clinic in Scotland solely dedicated to providing specialist ENT, Audiology and Aural Care Services, in partnership with local ENT consultants, Clyde Consulting Rooms.  

House of Hearing, Edinburgh Amber Brown

Melanie Jackson, Clinical Lead and Head of Nursing at House of Hearing said: “Ultimately, we want to drive home the message that many people will experience some form of hearing loss throughout their lives, but for most people, this doesn’t have to affect their quality of life.

“We also know the pandemic has likely led to an increase in self-management of issues such as excess ear wax. These should always be managed by a professional as otherwise you run the risk pushing the wax further into the ear or damaging the eardrum.  

“At House of Hearing, our specialists are all registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and members of the British Society of Hearing Aid Audiologists (BSHAA) to ensure the best care for every patient. We would encourage everyone to consider visiting for either a consultation to assess their wax removal requirements or a free hearing health assessment.”  

House of Hearing is the only ENT nurse-led wax removal team in Scotland and their clinic in Edinburgh is the only wax removal service in the country registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland.

The Glasgow clinic is also expected to be registered in the coming weeks.  

For more information, visit https://www.houseofhearing.co.uk/ 

Thorntons Solicitors launch charity will campaign this month

Cash for Kids is expected to receive a five figure sum again this year from Thorntons Solicitors as the beneficiary of the firm’s Charity Wills Campaign.

Taking place across its offices in Fife, Dundee, Perth, Angus, Edinburgh and (for the first time in the campaign’s history) Glasgow, Thorntons won’t charge a fee for Wills written throughout September. Instead, the firm asks clients to make a fee equivalent donation to Cash for Kids.

Murray Etherington, Partner and Head of Wills, Trusts and Succession at Thorntons, said: “If you take part in our Charity Wills Campaign this September, you’ll not only be looking after your own future, but helping the most disadvantaged children in your area receive access to essential and life-changing funds.

“People may assume that they don’t need a Will. But if you own property, have savings, are responsible for children or other dependents, then you should put one in place. It’s also important keep any existing Wills up to date, and we have created an easy, eight step guide to lead customers throughout the process. During the campaign clients can make their Will from the comfort and safety of their homes with consultations taking place virtually.”

Now in its 25th year, Thorntons’ Charity Wills Month has raised more than half a million pounds for Cash for Kids since it launched, supporting local children and organisations within the communities Thorntons operates. In 2020, Thorntons’ first virtual campaign raised £60,000 for the charity.

The suggested donation is £200 for a single Will and £250 for a couple making Wills together. Donations will go to the Cash for Kids fund closest to where the client lives, meaning children in their local area will directly benefit from any money raised.

Victoria Hendry, Cash For Kids Radio Forth Charity Manager, said: “We are thrilled to be working with Thorntons again on their Charity Wills initiative. To say this campaign has been a success over the years would be an understatement.

“Through Thorntons’ innovation, commitment and hard work – along with the generosity of their clients-  this campaign goes from strength to strength and supports more local children every year.

“When the pandemic hit, we wondered if Thorntons would be able to run this campaign. However, moving Charity Wills to virtual appointments worked brilliantly and we are so glad to be involved in this way again in 2021. We really are so delighted to be the beneficiary of this wonderful campaign and we cannot thank the team at Thorntons and their clients enough for their support.

“We have managed to help thousands of local children live a happier and fuller life thanks to Charity Wills month. We can’t wait to see it grow even more this year.”

Gearing up for Hidden Door Festival

Got your tickets for the Hidden Door Opening Party?? We’ve got some very special things lined up …

Our festival kicks off with a reprise of The Call: an inspiring project born in lockdown with composer Esther Swift conducting 20 of the best Scottish musicians and from across the gasworks site with huge flags.

The stages will burst to life with performances by Edinburgh-based pop-luminaries MALKA and Hamish Hawk, plus magical singer-songwriter Tiberius b, all paving the way for one of Scotland’s most significant talents, Pictish Trail.

We fully expect the opening night to be the celebration we have all been waiting for.

Also look out for spoken word from Jen McGregor and check out Something Smashing – a live performance that brings together musicians and dancers, a platform for improvisers and the audience to explore the unexpected!

And be sure to explore the whole site to discover visual works from over 30 artists!

New research finds pet dogs can predict owner’s epileptic seizures

New research led by Queen’s University Belfast has shown that dogs can predict epileptic seizures, offering a warning sign to owners that has the potential to save lives.  

Epileptic seizures are associated with a specific smell which is detectable by pet dogs. The study analysed the reaction of dogs to odours and found that the dogs could predict when a seizure was imminent.  

A reliable early warning system to make people with epilepsy aware of an impending seizure has the potential to save lives, reduce injury, provide an opportunity for medical intervention and return a sense of independence to those living with unpredictable seizures. 

Epilepsy is a debilitating and potentially life-threatening neurological condition which affects approximately 65 million people worldwide, of whom 30% (20 million), are unable to control their seizures by medication. There is currently no reliable and simple early warning seizure-onset device available, which means many people with unstable epilepsy live in fear of injury or sudden death and the negative impact of social stigmatization. 

There have been anecdotal accounts of pet dogs predicting their owner’s epileptic seizures by becoming attentive and by demonstrating attention-seeking behaviours, but to date no scientific study has investigated the veracity of these claims. 

Lead researcher Dr Neil Powell (above), from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “We hypothesized that, given the extraordinary sense of smell of dogs, a volatile organic compound exhaled by the dog’s epileptic owner may provide an early warning trigger mechanism to which make dogs react before the seizure. The results have shown pet dogs to be a reliable source to detect an on-set seizure.” 

The study has been published in the journal MDPI Animals. 

The researchers explored how a cohort of pet dogs reacted to the emergence of seizure-associated odours. Using two specially designed pieces of apparatus called the Remote Odour Delivery Mechanism (RODM), the researchers separately delivered epileptic seizure-associated odours and nonseizure associated odours and recorded the reactions of the dogs to each. 

Using 19 pet dogs with no experience of epilepsy, the researchers exposed them to odours that were deemed to be characteristic of three seizure phases, by using sweat harvested from people with epilepsy.

By altering the alternating odours emerging from sweat samples, captured before seizure, during a seizure and after a seizure, and two nonseizure controls, the researchers recorded the response of the 19 pet dogs. 

They found that all 19 dogs demonstrated more affiliative behavioural changes when confronted by seizure-associated odours, compared with their response to control odours.  

Dr Powell added: “Our findings clearly showed that all dogs reacted to the seizure-associated odour whether this was through making eye contact with their owner, touching them, crying or barking. There is a unique volatile smell linked to epiletic seizures, detectable by dogs who can in-turn warn their owner a seizure is likely to occur.  

“Our research was based on pet dogs with no prior training. If we can train dogs, this has the potential to make a big difference to owners who experience unpredictable seizures and should go a long way in improving not only their safety, but also their quality of life.”  

The research was funded by and conducted in partnership with Epilepsy Ireland and Disability Assistance Dogs. 

Peter Murphy, CEO of Epilepsy Ireland, said: “A reliable method of seizure prediction and detection is the holy grail for many people living with epilepsy as well as the parents of children with the condition.

“This is especially the case where seizures involve the loss of consciousness, with a high risk of injury. While recent efforts have focused on technological solutions, it is exciting and very welcome news that anecdotal reports of dogs’ ability to predict seizures have now been backed up by scientific evidence.

“We have been immensely proud to support Dr. Powell’s work and we hope that the findings will lead to new approaches alongside ‘man’s best friend’ that promote safety and offer reassurance for people living with epilepsy.” 

Time running out for Scottish churches to share ‘Good News’

Church competition

Churches in Scotland are being encouraged to submit their entries to Ecclesiastical Insurance’s ‘Good News’ competition before the deadline in September.

The specialist insurer is looking for churches to share their good news stories from the past 18 months, showcasing how they’ve supported their local communities during a challenging time. The winning church will scoop a total prize of £7,500.

St Luke the Evangelist Church in Glenrothes is one of the churches who have entered this year’s competition.

The Fife church shared their story of how they wanted to strengthen their links with the local community, so worked with the local school to provide 50 tablets for pupils to help them learn from home during the pandemic.

At the same time the church underwent a £450,000 refurbishment to provide local groups with a space to deliver their own activities, including Men’s Shed, YMCA and Scottish Association for Mental Healt (SAMH).

Entries should be submitted through Ecclesiastical’s website and written in the style of a news article with an attention-grabbing headline and no more than 250 words in length and with photographs or videos to go along with the article to help show the impact of their initiative.

Each entry is automatically entered into the regional competition where a panel of judges will select five regional winners who will each receive a £1,500 prize for their church.

The grand final of the competition will see one of the regional winners be crowned the national winner and receive an additional £6,000 – bringing their total winnings to £7,500.

Michael Angell from Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: “Despite the challenges that the pandemic has brought with it, churches have remained a beacon of hope to the communities they are based in.

“They have shown resilience and a willingness to adapt, diversifying to offer local residents more than ever before – from food banks, to home deliveries and vaccination centres.

“That’s why this year’s theme for our church competition is ‘Good News’! We want to help shine a light on those unsung heroes in our communities and the new initiatives that churches have come up with to help those most in need – spreading the ‘Good News’ far and wide.”

Entries can be submitted through the online form at Ecclesiastical’s website: 

www.ecclesiastical.com/churchcomp.

The closing date for entries is at 5pm on Friday 17 September.

Dog owners experiencing homelessness given vital lifeline by charity partnership

A year-long partnership between the UK’s largest dog welfare charity Dogs Trust and leading homelessness charity Simon Community Scotland, has successfully increased accommodation and support options for dog owners experiencing homelessness in Scotland.

Through engagement with homelessness service providers in Scotland, a total of 30 have signed up since the launch of the project to develop dog-friendly policies and begin accepting referrals from dog-owners. 

This includes three charities that have developed a charity wide pet-policy, and the project continues to support their services across the country to welcome pet owners. Launched in September 2020, the jointly funded role between the two charities was developed to ensure that fewer dog owners in Scotland have to make the heart-breaking choice between a safe place to sleep or staying with their dog.  

The findings from Dogs Trust and Simon Community Scotland’s partnership highlighted that a lack of pet-friendly policies in homelessness accommodation services is a significant problem for those facing homelessness.

The charities’ joint dedicated, 1-year Pets and Housing Project has been working with homelessness organisations across Scotland to provide tailored support so they can remove barriers and open their doors to dog owners through the ‘Welcoming Dogs’ scheme operated by Dogs Trust.  

One person who has benefitted from the work of the project is Damon, who became homeless when the only hostel space he was offered wouldn’t accept dogs. He feared he would need to give his dog up. Damon describes how Odan saved his life. 

Damon said: “I needed a reason to get out of bed in the morning, I was losing grip on life and I didn’t want to live anymore. Odan has been an absolute godsend to me, and he has completely changed my outlook on life. Odan gives me the energy I needed to push forward with my life, he has given me something to fight for. 

“It means everything to be with Odan. I wish I had the words to express how it feels. Dogs pick up from us how we are feeling, and they know if we’re not happy. The reason that Odan settled, is because I am settled here. It has made a big difference to us to be made to feel so welcomed. “

With support from Simon Community Scotland and Dogs Trust, Damon was able stay with Odan thanks to the local authority arranging pet-friendly emergency accommodation for them. Damon and Odan have since moved into their own tenancy together. 

Cat Birt, Pets and Housing Engagement and Development Officer, who leads on the Pets and Housing Project, said: “I’m really proud of everything that has been achieved over the last year, despite the challenges we have faced as a result of the pandemic, and it has been great to see first-hand how our work has impacted people’s lives.  

“For people facing homelessness, they are more likely to be isolated and detached from society and their pet can be the most loving and consistent relationship they have. We are a nation of dog lovers, and know how pets enrich our lives, so it is vitally important homelessness services recognise the importance of the human animal bond and make changes to their policies, so they provide a service inclusive of pet owners.  

“Thanks to the commitments we have already had by organisations in Scotland to become more pet-friendly, we know our approach is working, but there is more to be done. Thankfully, there is an opportunity for us to roll this project out more widely across the UK and help even more dog owners in need.” 

Hugh Hill, Director of Services and Development at Simon Community Scotland, said: ‘’At the heart of the project was recognising the incredibly positive bond between a dog and their human and the positive difference it made for people at their lowest ebb.

“The impact of Covid-19 has been challenging but what it did do was really highlight the importance of positive, meaningful and loving relationships in all our lives and for the people we support they often only experienced that connection with their dog. Every one of our services is dog-friendly and we will continue to share our approach and resources to any organisation looking to welcome our furry friends.’’ 

A comprehensive report covering the Pets and Housing Project between Dogs Trust and Simon Community Scotland, has been compiled which highlights the progress made over the last year along with findings and recommendations to help ensure that people and their pets can continue to stay together. The full report is available by clicking here.

Dogs Trust will be building on the amazing progress of this project with two new regional roles dedicated to increasing accommodation and support options for dog owners experiencing homelessness and is calling on more homelessness services across Great Britain to adopt a pet-friendly approach. Dogs Trust can support services through their Welcoming Dogs scheme, providing tailored advice and resources on accepting and managing dogs in a safe and responsible way, as well as through the Hope Project veterinary scheme which provides free veterinary treatment.  

For more information about the Hope Project, or to enquire about accessing their support, you can reach the team on 020 7833 7611 or by email hopeproject@dogstrust.org.uk.