Tag: support

New service to help local veterans find work

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EMPLOY-ABLE:

A NEW SERVICE TO HELP EDINBURGH & LOTHIANS VETERANS FIND WORK

Veterans in Edinburgh and the Lothians can now access a local service that will deliver support to help vulnerable ex-Servicemen and women find work. Veterans’ charity Poppyscotland and mental health charity SAMH (Scottish Association for Mental Health) have created Employ-Able, which provides local support, training and practical advice to assist veterans in their search for jobs.

Employ-Able aims to remove barriers, help develop skills and set goals, taking the form of one-to-one and group work sessions, using the model of SAMH’s successful workshop-based Tools for Living programme. Ongoing support once veterans are in employment is also available.

Bobby Duffy, Director of Operations at SAMH said: “Scotland’s veterans deserve as much support as we can give them when they settle back into the community. We know it can be hard for some veterans to get back into regular employment and that unemployment and financial difficulties are bad for your mental health, so we’re really pleased to be working with Poppyscotland to deliver this service.”

There are around 189,000 veterans of working age in Scotland and Poppyscotland research suggests that the unemployment rate for veterans aged 18-49 is twice that of the general UK population, with around 28,000 veterans in Scotland out of work. The research found a lack of current employability services that specifically target veterans who may be vulnerable or need additional support to get back into work. Employ-Able is intended to address this gap.

Gary Gray, Head of Welfare Services at Poppyscotland, commented: “A small but significant number of veterans face difficulty in adjusting to civilian life with many facing complex and multiple issues. Employment and mental health are areas of great concern as they impact greatly on all aspects of veterans’ lives and those of their families. By combining Poppyscotland’s knowledge of veterans’ issues and SAMH’s expertise we believe Employ-Able will tackle some of these key areas of difficulty and improve veterans’ prospects.”

Army veteran William Burnett (23) served with the Royal Regiment of Scotland for four years and saw service in Afghanistan. After leaving the Armed Forces William struggled to find a secure job but he is now in full-time employment as a warehouse assistant after taking part in Employ-Able. He said: “I was a nervous wreck when it came to interviews and never got the jobs I applied for. Employ-Able really helped me to get my confidence back. It helped me to develop my skills and I received support to prepare for interviews and get my CV up to date.

“I am now in a full-time job, which is going really well, and I am still in contact with my work preparation adviser who is there to offer me ongoing support. I would recommend Employ-Able to anyone who is unsure about how to get back into work after their time in the Forces.”

To find out more about Employ-Able call Poppyscotland’s Employment Services Co-ordinator Dot Pringle on 0131 550 1568 or email d.pringle@poppyscotland.org.uk 

SAMH

PoppyScotland

A helping hand at North West Foodbank

foodbank_logo_Edinburgh-NW-logo[1]With little sign of the recession ending any time soon families are finding it increasingly hard to make ends meet. Wages, for those who do have a job, are not keeping up with rising prices and for those on benefits – well, it’s never been tougher and with more reforms in the pipeline it’s going to get tougher still.

One sign of this is the growing dependency on foodbanks – for some families it’s become the only way to put food on the table. Figures released by The Trussell Trust show that the current economic climate is seeing many more people struggle to put food on the table, including families who are in work. Over 45,000 children were fed by foodbanks in 2011-12, while the numbers of adults and children fed nationwide increased from 61,468 in 2010-11 to 128,697 in 2011-12.

For many foodbank clients, the rising cost of food and fuel combined with static incomes, high unemployment and changes to benefits have forced them into a crisis where they cannot afford to eat.

The latest addition to the growing number of foodbanks opened recently – in Edinburgh North West. 

How do foodbanks work? Foodbanks operate through food donated at ‘Supermarket Collections’.  Foodbank volunteers engage shoppers at supermarkets and give them a ‘foodbank shopping list’, asking them to buy an extra item with their regular shop, which is then donated to the foodbank. Schools, churches, businesses and individuals also donate non-perishable, in-date food to the foodbank – all food given out by foodbanks is donated.

Once collected, the food is sorted by volunteers who check it’s in date and pack it into boxes ready to be given to people in need. Care professionals – doctors, health visitors, social workers, Citizens Advice Bureau staff, welfare officers, the police and probation officers, amongst others – identify people in crisis and issue them with a foodbank voucher.

Foodbank clients bring their voucher to a foodbank centre where it can be exchanged for three days supply of emergency food. Volunteers meet clients over a cup of tea or free hot meal and are able to signpost people to agencies able to solve the longer-term problem.

Like many organisations in this cash-straitened times, foodbanks rely on the generosity of volunteers. How you can help? Your gifts of time, funds or food could help stop local people going hungry – and there are lots of ways you can help. For further information see the Edinburgh North West Foodbank website at:

http://edinburghnw.foodbank.org.uk

The Edinburgh NW Foodbank is now open.

Crisis food packs with a referral from frontline care agencies and charities only.

For enquiries, please telephone 0131 202 9130

Email: info@edinburghnw.foodbank.org.uk

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