Regeneration firm Urban Union is donating £1,500 to support homeless charities across Edinburgh this festive season.
Crisis in Scotland will receive a cash boost from the developer behind Pennywell Living, to support people homeless in Scotland this Christmas. The donation has been made in lieu of the firm’s annual staff Christmas party, with Turning Point also being recipients of the donation.
Crisis in Scotland will be using the money to help its front-line team and 250+ volunteers provide people with hot meals, personalised wellbeing packs, online activities (including entertainment, learning and wellbeing) and a telephone befriending service throughout December.
Urban Union has also embarked on a new partnership with Invisible Cities, an Edinburgh-based social enterprise that trains people affected by homelessness to become walking tour guides.
Work is currently underway on a new tour celebrating the rich history of Glasgow’s Gorbals area which is home to Urban Union’s first development, Laurieston Living.
Neil McKay, Managing Director of Urban Union, said: “Our focus at Urban Union is to not only build new homes, but to create strong relationships and support the communities in which our developments are based.
“We are pleased to be able to support Crisis as well as work with organisations like Turning Point and Invisible Cities, who carry out brilliant work supporting the displaced and vulnerable across Edinburgh and Glasgow.
“We hope our donations will allow them to continue to provide crucial and important services through what are difficult times for many over Christmas.”
Crisis’ Edinburgh Skylight centre provides expert support and advice to homeless people to help them leave homelessness behind for good. How Crisis helps someone depends on their individual needs and situation, so it could be that they help someone to find a home and settle in, work together to help them gain new skills and find a job, or improve their overall health and wellbeing.
Kirsty Potter, Fundraising Manager from Crisis in Scotland, said: “We are very grateful for this generous donation from Urban Union which will make a real difference to people in Scotland without a home this Christmas.
“It will help bring comfort and dignity to people being supported in hotels, BnBs and other forms of temporary accommodation this Christmas. Everyone deserves a home, and donations like this will help people in incredibly challenging situations access the support they need to end their homelessness for good.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Convener of Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work, Councillor Kate Campbell said: “We’ve worked together to put our most vulnerable residents first during this crisis – but the biggest challenges are still to come.
“Making sure people can access the right support when and where they need it is an absolute priority. So it’s great to see these funds going to Crisis and Turning Point to help them help others. Particularly at this time of year”
Urban Union will also be donating funds to Turning Point Scotland which provides support for people who are dealing with mental health conditions, learning disabilities or are homeless.
The charity has led the way in its introduction of the Housing First approach to homelessness in Scotland – by granting secure accommodation as a first step in addressing the issues that led to the situation, rather than the last and being given as proof of recovery.
In addition to the donations, the regeneration specialist has partnered with Invisible Cities to train up to eight people who have experienced homelessness and develop a new walking tour proposed to launch in early 2021.
The group will undertake training to help with confidence building, public speaking and customer service skills and have the opportunity to become an official Invisible Cities guide or access further support to pursue a career path of interest to them.
Urban Union regenerates areas across Scotland to create revitalised communities through building new, high quality, affordable homes.
Across each of its developments, Urban Union aims to deliver sustainable long-term benefits to the new and surrounding neighbourhoods, with job and training opportunities, ensuring the community will benefit from the projects for years to come.