Shelter Scotland has said Councillors must stick to their promises and make social housebuilding the top priority for the next administration in Edinburgh as talks to decide who will head up the council continue.
Ahead of the election the housing charity’s petition demanding action on social homes attracted more than 3,300 signatures in Edinburgh, and in excess of 12,000 nationally.
Before voters went to the polls, councillors from the SNP and Labour, the two largest parties on the City of Edinburgh Council signed the Shelter Scotland social housing pledge to make social housing delivery a top priority for their term in office.
Shelter Scotland’s analysis of the council’s figures shows the city needs at least 7,000 social homes over the next five years.
Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “Social housing ends homelessness. It protects against worsening child poverty and helps our communities thrive. It is easily one of the best things the new council can do to improve our city. Despite that, none of Edinburgh’s previous administrations have delivered the homes the council’s own figures say the city needs.
“Before this election, the parties now negotiating a new power sharing agreement promised the 3,360 citizens in Edinburgh who signed the social housing petition that they would make building at least 7,000 social homes a top priority. Now they need to deliver.”
Alison added: “Communities across Edinburgh are suffering as a direct result of the housing emergency. They will not easily forgive or forget if councillors do not deliver what they’ve promised.
This is one thing the parties can agree on and something the people of Edinburgh will expect to see on the first pages of their new plan for the city.”
● Social Bite’s Break the Cycle campaign returns bigger and better with plans to scale up vital projects providing jobs, homes and food for homeless people
● Hoy and Kellock are backing the campaign and will cycle the 60-mile route from Glasgow to Edinburgh with fellow fundraising cyclists
● The Scottish sporting stars are backing the “Break the Cycle” campaign to raise £1m, and will cycle 60-mile route from Glasgow to Edinburgh with fellow riders to raise money for the cause
● This year’s event builds on the success of 2021, with new 20-mile and 3-mile routes available to ensure everyone can get involved no matter your cycling experience
Sir Chris Hoy and Al Kellock will be putting their helmets on and donning lycra as Social Bite once again launches its Break the Cycle campaign to raise £1m to fund vital projects to end homelessness.
Following a successful first event last year, it’s back again for 2022 and invites participants to make the 60-mile cycle from Glasgow to Edinburgh with the goal of raising significant funds to support its movement to end homelessness.
This year also sees the introduction of new 20-mile and 3-mile cycle routes, to ensure there’s opportunities for all ages and abilities to get involved – from experienced cyclists, through to families looking to have a great day out while doing their bit for the charitable cause.
The Break the Cycle event will take place on Sunday 4th September, with Olympic hero Sir Chris Hoy, and Glasgow Warriors Managing Director and former Scotland rugby captain, Al Kellock leading the charge and riding from Glasgow to Edinburgh.
Participants can sign up to “Team Hoy” and set off on the 60-mile cycle with Sir Chris Hoy from the Velodrome, where participants will be warmed-up by a legendary fitness guru.
Rugby fans can sign up to “Team Tom Smith” captained by Al Kellock, and joined by rugby stars of yesteryear, to set off from Glasgow Warrior’s Scotstoun stadium and ride across the city to join an expected 1,000 participants in the cycling challenge to Edinburgh.
Ten per cent of all fundraising from this team will be donated to a trust that has been set up by the Scottish Rugby community in aid of Tom Smith’s family, after the former Scotland and British & Irish Lions prop tragically passed away in April 2022.
The route will finish at the home of Scottish Rugby, BT Murrayfield Stadium, where fundraisers, along with their friends and families, will enjoy performances from a range of local acts as well as refreshments from some of the country’s top food and drinks establishments.
As well as the physical event in September, there’s the opportunity to show your support by taking on your own 60-mile challenges to raise money, as the virtual challenges can be designed to suit each individual, using any mode or method.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, CEO and Co-Founder of Social Bite, said: “Break the Cycle is back this year, bigger and better and thrilled to have Sir Chris and Al on board to once again help us raise much-needed funds to break the cycle of homelessness.
“The funds raised at Break the Cycle will help us support people across the country who have experienced homelessness, whether that’s through supporting people to find a safe place to call home, empowering people to get a job, or by providing free, fresh food to people who are homeless or in food poverty.”
“With our new routes this year, the support of our famous faces getting involved, and what promises to be a real festival feel at the finish line at BT Murrayfield, we’re in for a really exciting event. Sign up to join this year’s Break the Cycle to raise vital funds to end homelessness.”
Sir Chris Hoy said: “I’ve been a proud supporter of Social Bite for a number of years now, from the very first sleep-out event in 2016 through to the first Break the Cycle event last year.
“The work they do is inspiring and has such a positive impact on so many people’s lives so it’s always great to help out in whatever way I can.”
“I had great fun in 2021 cycling with all the other fundraisers and can’t wait to return again this September for what promises to be an even bigger and better event for a great cause.”
Al Kellock said: “I’m thrilled that myself and Glasgow Warriors are supporting Social Bite with its Break the Cycle campaign which does so much to help support people who need it most.
“I would encourage Scottish Rugby fans to join me in setting off from Scotstoun Stadium all the way to BT Murrayfield and I’m really looking forward toraising as much money as possible for the cause as well as supporting the creation of a trust for Tom Smith’s family after his tragic passing.”
Five Scottish charities to receive a share of £50k fund to help people facing homelessness, financial crisis or social exclusion
Local housebuilder Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has donated £10,000 to help homeless people in Edinburgh.
The UK charity is an innovative social enterprise, which is committed to ending homelessness through food, employment and housing. In Edinburgh it has coffee shops on Rose Street and Shandwick Place, along with the Social Bite Village – a supported community providing accommodation and assistance for up to 20 people affected by homelessness.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, co-founder of Social Bite, says Barratt’s donation will go towards supporting those who are affected by homelessness, experiencing high financial risk, or in crisis and in need of support.
Josh Littlejohnsaid: “On behalf of Social Bite and the people we support, I’d like to thank Barratt Developments Scotland. We know that ending homelessness requires everyone to play their part, and we are incredibly grateful for this generous donation.
“This support will enable us to continue to develop innovative programmes of food provision, supported employment and housing; to bring about systemic change, and empower people who have been homeless to transform their own lives.”
Churches Action for the Homeless (CATH) in Perth, The Highland Homeless Trust in Inverness, Aberdeen Cyrenians in Aberdeen and Community Veterans Support in Glasgow are among the other charities to benefit from a share of Barratt Development’s bumper £50,000 fund.
Alison Condie, managing director of Barratt Developments East Scotland, said: “As a homebuilder, we work in communities across the country to increase the availability of quality homes.
“Addressing homelessness is a cause that’s very close to our hearts but, sadly, the pandemic has exacerbated many of the social and financial issues and put many more people at risk.
“We are pleased to be able to provide some financial support to these organisations at a time when they need it most, and hope that our donations will help those who are vulnerable or facing hardship across the country.”
For more information on Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/
Council leaders are failing children across the country when it comes to social housing according to Shelter Scotland.
Ahead of the local authority elections in May, the housing charity has said council leaders need to urgently step up in order to tackle the deepening housing emergency.
In Glasgow alone there are 2,480 children stuck in temporary accommodation, while 1,515 children in the capital face the same situation. In Aberdeen, a household with children spend 103 days in temporary accommodation on average, while in Dundee that figure rises to 285 days.
Shelter Scotland’s analysis of council’s housing plans* shows that a minimum of 7,000 social homes are needed over the next five years in Edinburgh, 3,675 in Glasgow, 853 in Aberdeen and 655 in Dundee.
Each of the local authorities in those cities failed to deliver on their previous affordable housing targets.
Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “Right now, thousands of households, including thousands of children, are trapped in temporary accommodation. Often, they’re living in cramped conditions which are entirely unsuitable. Many of them have been living in so-called temporary accommodation for months or, in some cases, years.
“Living in temporary accommodation can have devastating effects. It disrupts children’s learning, it places huge strain on family life, it can ruin people’s health. In the face of a deepening cost-of-living crisis this problem is only going to get worse unless action is taken now.
“As more people are exposed to the risk of homelessness, only social housing can stem the tide. The Scottish Government has promised the cash for new social homes, we need to keep fighting to make sure they’re actually built.
“With the local elections just around the corner our cities’ leaders can’t shirk their responsibilities. We need them to step up and finally contribute to building a future where everyone in Scotland, without exception, has their right to housing upheld.
“The scale of the challenge is clear, but council leaders must rise to meet it. The thousands of children without the security and safety a permanent home provides can’t wait a second longer.”
Shelter Scotland has launched a new campaign asking people to demand that council leaders pledge to build social housing.
For more information and to sign the petition, visit:
Councils have now provided more than 1,000 Housing First tenancies across Scotland, helping tackle homelessness by offering settled homes to those with multiple and complex needs.
Housing First is aimed at people with high support needs – such as alcohol or drug dependency or significant mental health problems – who are experiencing homelessness. It provides them with settled housing and intensive, individually tailored support.
The Scottish Government has invested £5.5 million since 2019 in the Housing First pathfinder programme, which has worked to set up Housing First schemes in areas with the most people sleeping rough or at risk of doing so. This is part of a £52.5 million investment in rapid rehousing, aiming to ensure people spend the shortest amount of time possible in temporary accommodation, giving them a settled place to live as soon as appropriate.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We know that providing long-term housing to people experiencing homelessness is crucial to helping them rebuild their lives, which is why we’re investing £52.5 million in projects that move people on from temporary accommodation as soon as possible.
“Housing First is a key part of that, aimed at people with multiple and complex needs – be that addiction, mental ill health or repeated interactions with the justice system.
“The best way to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation is to stop homelessness from happening in the first place, which is why we are consulting on plans to place legal duties on public bodies to prevent people losing their homes. This stems from the principle that preventing homelessness should be a shared public responsibility.”
Scotland’s Councils are being given an extra £16 million to help tackle homelessness by moving people swiftly from temporary accommodation into settled homes.
The funding, to be awarded over the next two financial years, takes the total investment in rapid rehousing to £53.5 million. Rapid rehousing aims to ensure people spend the shortest amount of time possible in temporary accommodation, giving them a settled place to live as soon as appropriate.
The package includes an investment of £6.5 million in the Housing First pathfinder to support people with multiple and complex needs.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “Tackling homelessness is about much more than just providing a bed for the night. Temporary accommodation is an important safety net, but most people need a settled place to stay where they can rebuild their lives.
“Rapid rehousing is based around the idea that most people need a settled home, and this new funding will help councils progress their Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans to move people as quickly as possible into appropriate, settled accommodation.
“The best way to reduce the number of households in temporary accommodation is to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place, and today’s announcement follows the recent publication of our consultation on plans for new legal duties on public bodies, highlighting the shared public responsibility to prevent homelessness in Scotland.”
Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans cover an initial period of five years from 2019. The new funding comprises £8 million in 2022/23 and £8 million in 2023/24.
Aldi Scotland has launched its ‘Not Socks Again?!’ campaign for the second year running, following its widespread success in 2021, which saw more than 2000 pairs of socks donated to good causes.
The initiative encourages customers to donate any unwanted or extra unused socks they may have received as Christmas gifts to charities supporting people in need across Scotland.
Every year, millions of people receive socks for Christmas that they often don’t want or need, charities across Scotland do, and Aldi’s ‘Not Socks Again?!’ campaign aims to put these gifts to better use by donating new and unused socks to those who need them most.
Aldi’s Sock Amnesty’ boxes will be in stores across Scotland from the 3rd of January until the end of the month, where people can drop off their unused socks to help keep vulnerable people warm this winter.
The Bethany Christian Trust are working toward the goal of ending homelessness in Scotland. The team at the Bethany Christian Trust offer a broad range of services, from assistance with housing, education and employment, to crisis intervention wellbeing support.
Nathanael Smith, Community Fundraiser, Bethany Christian Trust, said: “It’s surprising how much a good pair of socks can make a difference in someone’s life.
“It’s a simple gift that can mean warmth, comfort and dignity to those in need. Thanks to Aldi for making such an amazing project possible.”
Richard Holloway, Regional Managing Director for Scotland, said: “Following an immensely challenging year, the team at Aldi Scotland were eager to support charities which are working tirelessly to help those in need.
“In winter, charities are always looking for essential items to be donated, and so we thought, why not encourage our customers to donate any unwanted gifts of socks to people who truly need them.
Aldi will also contribute a £250 donation to each charity in the hope of helping the most vulnerable in our communities.
Aldi’s Sock Amnesty boxes will be in store from 3rd January and customers are invited to drop off any unwanted, new and unused, socks which will be donated to the charity in their local area.”
This initiative builds on Aldi’s commitment to supporting communities across Scotland. Since 2016, Aldi’s Scottish Sports Fund has supported over 500 local clubs with more than £290,000 worth of donations.
In addition, Aldi has helped to provide over 10 million meals to vulnerable people across the UK through its partnership with community engagement platform, Neighbourly. Aldi also helped 12 local foodbanks this year after it relaunched its popular Supermarket Sweep programme this year.
To find your nearest Aldi store please visit their website here and donate your unwanted socks this Christmas.
Views sought on proposed legal duties for public bodies
Health and social care services, children’s services, police and other public bodies will have a legal duty to ‘ask and act’ to prevent homelessness under Scottish Government proposals.
The measures would be part of new laws aimed at preventing homelessness, based on recommendations from an expert group convened by the charity Crisis at the request of the Scottish Government. They would represent the biggest change to Scotland’s homelessness legislation in almost a decade.
Public bodies would have a legal duty to identify anyone at risk of homelessness and either take action themselves or refer on to more appropriate help.
A consultation on the plans, run jointly with COSLA, will give people with experience of homelessness, alongside those from the housing sector, public bodies and others, the chance to share their views and help shape Scotland’s approach to preventing homelessness.
Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison said: “We know that the best way to end homelessness is to prevent it from happening in the first place. These new proposals build on the strong housing rights that already exist in Scotland for people who become homeless.
“Early action should be a shared public responsibility, giving people facing homelessness more choice and control over where they live.
“Homelessness is often a traumatic and unsettling experience that can have a profound impact on the lives of those involved, including children.
“By intervening at an earlier stage, and encouraging services to work together to respond to people’s needs, we can ensure fewer people and families are faced with having to re-build lives affected by homelessness.
“This will further add to our existing ambitious programme of work and investment to ensure everyone has a safe, warm place to call home.”
Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said: “We strongly support plans for new duties for public bodies to prevent homelessness in Scotland.
“Scotland has made huge progress in its journey towards ending homelessness in recent years, but while the country has powerful protections in place for people experiencing homelessness, far too many people are being forced to reach crisis point before they get the help they need.
“Everyone has a role to play in preventing homelessness, and by introducing new duties requiring public services to ask about someone’s housing situation, and offer them the help they need, we can build a truly world leading system of homelessness prevention.”
Councillor Kelly Parry, COSLA Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing said: “People have a right to a place they can call home. Rough sleeping and sofa surfing is something we have always worked to eliminate.
“We welcome the proposal that the duty to end homelessness will be shared with other public bodies and look forward to being closely engaged in the consultation with other partners”.
Social investor reports supporting 184 social enterprises in past year
In turn, investees supported over 1 million people across the UK
Social investor outlines new strategic direction with ambitious target to increase the assets under BII management and advisory to over £500 million by 2030
Big Issue Invest (BII) has launched its 2020-2021 Impact Report.
The report revealed that the social investment arm of The Big Issue, supported 184 social enterprises across the UK with £39.7 million Assets Under Management (AUM) at March 2021*.
The report detailed how, in turn, those 184 social enterprises were able to support over 1.16 million customers across the UK in the same period.
The organisation reported that, of BII’s total investment portfolio, over 62% of the 184 investees of the past year are based in areas of high deprivation**, where capital can have the greatest social and economic benefits, including London, the North East and North West.
20% of BII’s total portfolio is invested into organisations directly tackling inequality in the UK in order to improve health, education and job outcomes in deprived areas.
BII’s investments in Scotland, the North East, East Midlands and the East of England have significantly increased during the period.
For example, £5 million was invested in Scotland- based social ventures with a major investment in the social lettings agency Homes For Good.
£1.7 million of investment was made into social enterprises in the East of England, with a change in value percentage of 667%.
Of the total number of investments, 16% support people living in poverty and/or financial exclusion, 11% support people living in precarious housing or who are homeless, 12% support vulnerable young people, 11% support people experiencing unemployment and 9% support people with mental health needs and conditions.
The top five Sustainable Development Goals contributed to by BII’s investees were: Good Health and Wellbeing (31%), Decent Work and Economic Growth (17.4%), Sustainable Cities and Communities (16.3%), Quality Education (10.3%) and Reduced Inequalities (8.2%).
The report showed that 9,490 people are employed by BII’s investees across the UK and provide 6,900 volunteering opportunities for people in local communities. It also revealed that 76% of investees focused their impact at a local rather than national level.
The report detailed BII’s support of social enterprises during the pandemic. BII provided £3.2 million of grants to 118 grantees across England as part of the National Lottery Community Fund’s ‘Social Enterprise Support Fund’ and supported the Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund to disburse £5.5 million through the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme.
It also provided 61% investees with repayment holidays. Over 50% of BII’s investees managed to grow or maintain their work during the Pandemic.
The report also laid out the foundations of the new BII strategy: We Back Human Potential. BII’s new strategy, which includes an ambitious target to increase the assets under BII management and advisory to over £500 million by 2030.
Danyal Sattar, CEO of Big Issue Invest, said: “In the past year, we have been inspired by the way that social enterprises and charities across the UK have responded to the unprecedented challenges faced by their communities whilst also overcoming challenges within their organisations.
“I am proud of the Big Issue Invest team who have worked tirelessly in supporting our investees to keep the lights on, adapt to new operating environments and to continue to deliver impact to their customers.
“We were part of two major sector responses to the pandemic: the Social Enterprise Support Fund and the Resilience and Recovery Loan Fund. On top of this, we continued to support over 180 organisations with £39.7 million of investment.
“During this period, we have launched a brand new strategy as an impact investor. Driving everything we do, we will champion impact-first investing; we will push for social equality and we will provide a broader range of support that is ‘more than money’.
“Over the last 12 months, BII has continued to prioritise improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in our work. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our investees for their engagement on this issue, as well as our many partners and the networks in the sector who continue to push the social investment and social sectors to be more inclusive and accessible to social purpose organisations and the wider communities they support.”
New figures published by the National Records of Scotland show an estimated 256 homeless deaths across Scotland in 2020, with 33 estimated homeless deaths in Edinburgh.
The figures show the need for urgent change according to Lothian Scottish Greens MSP Lorna Slater.
Lorna Slater MSP said: “These shocking figures reveal the tragedy of homeless deaths in Edinburgh and across Scotland. There can be no doubt that change is urgently needed.
“As part of our cooperation agreement with the Scottish Government, we have committed to ending homelessness and protecting the rights of tenants. With these vital changes, I am confident that we will see these unacceptable figures falling in the years to come.
“A new deal for tenants will deliver a private rented sector regulator, place restrictions on evictions over winter, introduce penalties and compensation for illegal evictions, and see a national system of rent controls introduced.
“Rolling out the housing first approach is a key part of tackling homelessness. This approach recognises that housing is a human right and focuses on finding people a settled and secure home. It is a model that is specifically tailored for homeless people with complex and multiple needs.”
