BoConcept Scotland are proud to host a unique ‘Sit Down for Change’ charity art auction in aid of Social Bite and the Scottish Government’s mission to eradicate homelessness within the next five years. Continue reading Sit Down for Change: charity art auction supports campaign to end homelessness
New group aims to end use of B & B accommodation
The city council has created a new homelessness task force to investigate the growing problem in the city. Chaired by the ‘Homelessness Champion’, Councillor Kate Campbell, the task force will review the use of bed and breakfast accommodation and explore alternatives that could better meet the needs of individuals and families, with an aim to end the use of bed and breakfast accommodation. Continue reading City council sets up homelessness taskforce
Social Bite’s Sleep in the Park initiative has raised over £500,000 in only three weeks. The social business is on an ambitious mission to work with others to end homelessness in Scotland within five years (see below), and more than 2,000 people have already pledged to sleep out at the Sleep in the Park event in Princes Street Gardens on December 9th.
Fifteen families have also signed up to offer a spare room and 28 companies are offering job opportunities to homeless people.
Up to ten thousand people are expected to ‘sleep rough’at the event, which has been billed ‘Live Aid for Scottish Homelessness’. Attractions include:
Social Bite has set a fundraising target of £4m and is looking to generate 1,000 employment offers and 1,000 ‘spare room’ supported lodging pledges.
To register to participate, go to sleepinthepark.co.uk
The Homeless Navigator Project is a new Comic Relief and Essential Edinburgh funded service within Cyrenians that seeks to address a visible problem with rough sleeping in Edinburgh. The project aims to offer an alternative opportunity for people who are experiencing homelessness and cannot, for whatever reason, make use of the current support services that exist in Edinburgh. Continue reading Cyrenians launch Homeless Navigator Project
More than 100 families a day lost their homes last year, after the number of renters evicted from their properties reached a record high. Continue reading One hundred families lose their homes EVERY DAY
Social Bite’s waterfront village homes to be ready by Christmas
A new village for homeless people will be up and running before Christmas. The Social Bite Village on Granton’s waterfront will be made up of 10 two-bedroom homes that can be moved and transported. Continue reading New homes for Christmas
Friday was a frantic afternoon for the women of the All About Me group – the women presented their new film at the Central Halls in Tollcross before getting back across town to screen the film again and launch an exhibition of photographs and memorabilia at North Edinburgh Arts. The events were the latest efforts to publicise the dreadful impact changes to the benefits system are having on families.
The exhibition highlights the actions taken by the group to support friends faced with losing their homes
None of the young women had any experience of political campaigning but over the last six months the women have:
While the group has won some small victories, another local family lost their home last week. The women are determined: the fight goes on.
See the exhibition at North Edinburgh Arts.
People sleeping rough on the streets of Edinburgh and Glasgow should receive greater support following a deal struck between two charities specialising in outreach work. The chief executive of Glasgow-based charity Simon Community Scotland has now also been named chief executive of their Edinburgh-based counterpart, Streetwork.
The dual role now being performed by Lorraine McGrath (above) will see both organisations build on an already existing relationship of sharing expertise in their joint pursuit of providing practical support to people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Streetwork has been providing face-to-face support to rough sleepers in the capital for 25 years, while Simon Community Scotland has been doing likewise in Glasgow for just over 50. The bigger of the two, in terms of staff numbers, Simon Community Scotland also provides emergency accommodation services, including in North Lanarkshire and North Ayrshire.
The opportunity for McGrath to take on the twin roles followed a vacancy arising at Streetwork.
Streetwork chair Linda Holden said: “I am delighted that a chief executive of the calibre of Lorraine McGrath has been appointed as our chief executive also.
“To have access to the skills, talents and resources of Simon Community Scotland – with whom we share so many values – will be vital as we try to to support people with complex needs who are sleeping rough on our streets.
“We are specialists in working directly with people sleeping rough on our streets. This collaboration is a really significant step forward for us as we work towards trying to solve this so visible and heart-wrenching situation we all see on the streets of our cities.”
Lorraine McGrath said: “I’ve known and informally worked with Streetwork for over ten years. I feel honoured and privileged to be linking the leadership of the two major homelessness street outreach organisations in Scotland, I believe it offers great opportunity for shared learning.
“This ambitious agreement between our organisations is wholly focused on delivering improvements for people who find themselves on the streets or in crisis in our two cities where we have the greatest homelessness need.
“Streetwork has a strong legacy of delivery in Edinburgh and a highly-skilled and expert team and I am delighted to be joining that team.
“This partnership will bring huge benefits to both organisations as we develop new ways of working, learning from each other about what works best and in developing new approaches together.”
The women presented the new arrangement to key officials at The City of Edinburgh Council, which is the principal funder of Streetwor, on Monday.
On Tuesday next week M, a local mum and her young family, will lose their home. M and her children are the next family among dozens of local women and children who will find themselves homeless through no fault of their own over the coming weeks – and North Edinburgh groups have joined forces to demand changes to the system. Continue reading Home truths: benefits cuts biting deep
15% of Scots think young people are homeless by choice
A Scottish charity has launched a new Facebook Messenger “bot” to teach Scots about the real causes of homelessness amongst young people after research found nearly half believe it is through choice or a refusal to accept assistance. Continue reading Ask Alex: new Messenger “bot” to teach Scots about causes of youth homelessness
