‘Shocking increase’ in food bank usage

New report shows growing demand for emergency food aid

More than 160 groups and organisations are now providing emergency food aid in Scotland. The figure is in a new report from the Poverty Alliance which states changes to the social security system and the introduction of sanctions, as well as low pay and insecure work are some of the main factors behind the growing need for emergency food.

The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Alex Neil launched the report at a food bank in his Airdrie constituency yesterday.

The Scottish Government has now provided the Poverty Alliance with £28,941 to carry out further work with emergency food providers. This will enable the Alliance to work with those providers to take forward research findings and to focus more strongly on the causes of food poverty and work towards ensuring people get the help needed to move them away from reliance on food aid provision.

Mr Neil said: “The Poverty Alliance report perfectly demonstrates the impact of UK welfare changes. It is unacceptable that so many have had to resort to foodbanks. Emergency food aid is not a sustainable response to the issue of food poverty and its underlying drivers and it cannot become an established feature of the welfare system in Scotland.”

“We have seen previously in figures from the The Trussell Trust, that there has been a shocking increase in food bank usage. This speaks volumes about the real poverty in our society when people can’t feed their families without help and support from food aid organisations.”

The Poverty Alliance report follows figures from The Trussell Trust which shows a rapid and dramatic rise in the number of people accessing emergency food aid in Scotland.

The Trussell Trust has reported a 12 fold increase in usage of emergency food aid in just three years – in 2011/12 5726 people in Scotland accessed food aid, while in 2013/14 that figure was 71,428.

The Poverty Alliance report concludes that more effort should be concentrated on how emergency food aid providers can better connect people with mainstream support services. Providers working in close partnership with other services have been shown to offer better support to those in need, connecting them to the advice and support required to address underlying issues which have led them to access emergency food aid in the first place.

Director of The Poverty Alliance Peter Kelly said: “We need to build on the good work that food aid providers are already doing. Volunteers are providing help to people experiencing real difficulties in often complex circumstances. There is a need to develop partnership working between emergency food aid providers to share ideas, experiences and good practice.

“In the longer term we need to ensure that we are developing policy solutions that address the root causes of food poverty. The support from the Scottish Government will help the Poverty Alliance ensure that those who are on the frontline tackling food poverty are able to contribute to finding these solutions.”

The Trussell Trust Scotland Network Manager Ewan Gurr added: “It has been a pleasure to work alongside and support the research carried out by our colleagues at the Poverty Alliance and we appreciate the consistency of the Scottish Government as they explore creative ways to tackle food poverty in Scotland.

“The voluntary sector, largely, has an openness to exploring fresh ways in which we can enhance the level of support people are offered. We welcome the report and believe it is important for us, as well as other food providers, to digest the findings. It has always been my ultimate desire that our foodbanks are places where dignity is restored, hope is revived and the support is comprehensive and robust.”

To help food aid providers develop a better understanding of the range of support available for users of emergency food aid and identify additional support, the Poverty Alliance has developed a web based resource to assist those delivering emergency food aid better link with mainstream services such as Citizen’s Advice Scotland as well as with other information and links to key support services at www.foodaidscotland.org

Voluntary Sector Forum dates set

Get your diaries out … Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum meetings have been set for the rest of the year … and the first one of 2016 has been scheduled in too!

22 APRIL

22 JULY

21 OCTOBER

20 JANUARY 2016

The meetings will be held on Wednesday mornings from 10am – 12 noon at venues to be confirmed.

EVOC thinkSpace event: Pensions

EVOC is holding a Breakfast thinkSpace on

Pension Auto Enrolment

on Friday 20 February 8:30am – 10am

at EVOC, 14 Ashley Place, EdinburghEH6 5PX

The session will be delivered by Deborah Adam from the Pensions Team at Burness Paull LLP, as well as a speaker from Hymans Robertson (to be confirmed).

There will be more information to follow on our dedicated ThinkSpace pages, as well as on our social media channels.

In the meantime, please save the date and reserve your place by booking through eventbrite:

https://eventbrite.co.uk/event/15498270745/

Voluntary Sector Forum meets on Wednesday

Forth and Inverleith Vountary Sector Forum will meet next Wednesday (21 January) from 10am – 12pm in North Edinburgh Arts.

AGENDA

Present and Apologies
Minutes of the last meeting
Matters arising
Election papers for new Chair – discussion
New Local Community Plan – hard copies of plan and discussion
CEC Budget
Childcare
Training opportunities
Information Exchange
A.O.B.
Date of next meeting

For further information contact EVOC Community Planning development worker June Dickson on 555 9114, email june.dickson@evoc.org.uk

060814 FINAL – USE

EVOC thinkSpace event: Balancing the Books

Monday 24 November, 1 – 3pm

City of Edinburgh Council, City Chambers, Business Centre

At this thinkSpace event, we will be joined by Councillors Burns, Rankin, Child & Cook, as well as Hugh Dunn, Head of Finance at CEC, to take us through the Council’s budget proposals for 2015/16 and into the future.

Full details of the event are available here.

Please book in advance by emailing dianne.morrison@evoc.org.uk to reserve your place.

Really hope you can make this important event – the sector needs to make its voice heard during the consultation period.

Taking SHAPE: reducing the risk of homelessness

A new pilot scheme to reduce homelessness has been launched by the City of Edinburgh Council and voluntary sector partners .

Focusing on resolving and preventing homelessness, a range of specialist services will be delivered through a partnership with third sector organisations the Bethany Christian Trust, Edinburgh Cyrenian Trust, Foursquare and CHAI (Community Help and Advice Initiative). The partnership heralds the beginning of a new collaborative approach to supporting people in the Capital who are at risk of losing their homes.

The Council, providers and service users are working in partnership to rebalance housing support services and place more emphasis on prevention, through mentoring, befriending, group work and visits from housing support staff. This approach will help resolve some of the crises that lead to homelessness and also deliver initial savings of £400,000, with potential further savings in the future.

The Council’s Housing Leader, Councillor Cammy Day, said: “Taking early action is the best way to combat homelessness. It is vital that we act quickly so we can prevent more people from losing their homes and better protect their well-being.

“By working alongside our third sector partners, we can gain from their expertise and deliver the highest standard of support to those who need it across Edinburgh. This way we can tackle the root causes of homelessness and provide important advice on budgeting and tenancy issues, to build a better future for those at risk and help them to keep their homes.”

The pilot will provide:

Budgeting and debt advice (including rent, utility bills and fuel poverty)I
nformation about benefits, including changes due to welfare reform
Advice about tenancy issues and housing options
Links to employment, including volunteering, education and training
Help to avoid social isolation

People who are homeless and in temporary and insecure accommodation will also receive support to move into more sustainable accommodation, in both the public and private sectors.

Iain Gordon of SHAPE, the umbrella organisation representing the third sector partners, said: “Our hope is that this new way of working will help people who find themselves at risk of becoming homeless to be more secure in their homes, so that they can live active and productive lives.”

Further £15 million to support disadvantaged families

Thousands of Scotland’s most disadvantaged children, young people and families are set to benefit from £15 million new funding over the next year, Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell has announced.

The Scottish Government will invest £10 million to continue the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund for 2015-16 to support voluntary groups working to give children the best start in life, for example through projects to tackle poverty, promote parenting skills and encourage family support for learning.

An additional £5 million will be made available to allow strategic funding partnerships (SFPs) that were established in 2013 to help the government and public sector partners improve outcomes for young people and their families to be extended through to spring 2016.

Ms Campbell, Minister for Children and Young People said: “We are working to give every child in Scotland the best start in life. That’s why we’re extending funded early learning and childcare, making free school meals available for every child in P1 to P3 and strengthening how public services work together to support children and families and ensure our most disadvantaged young people are not left behind.

“We’re also committed to supporting a capable, sustainable and enterprising third sector. This new funding will help deliver a wide range of projects to support families and empower communities, improving the life chances of children across the country and moving us closer to our shared vision of making Scotland the best place to grow up.”

A £20 million Third Sector Early Intervention Fund was established in early 2013, with 96 awards made for a range of organisations and projects. A further 45 organisations received support through SFPs to enhance or develop work focussed on supporting the needs of young people and their families. Both funding streams run over two years, up to March 2015.

One of those groups currently funded, One Parent Families Scotland (OPFS), has received a total of £709,284 from the Third Sector Early Intervention Fund.

OPFS Director Satwat Rehman said: “We received core funding which has been invaluable in ensuring we can have the information, advice and systems in place across the organisation to work with single parents and their children and respond to the issues they tell us they need support with such as debt and money advice, family and parenting support and childcare, ultimately improving outcomes for children at greatest risk of not achieving their potential due to the effects of poverty.

“We also received project funding to work with single fathers and contact fathers to work with them and help them support their children through positive activities and interactions as well as support the fathers to be more involved in local activities and groups thereby reducing the isolation they and their children experience”.

Among other projects currently being supported are Mellow Parenting, which has been able to establish eight new Dad’s groups across Scotland to improve parental attachment between fathers and their children; Mind Mosaic, which has provided play therapy to 25 children and young people and family support to 32 parents/carers and 9 kinship carers; and Dyslexia Scotland, which is providing high-quality advice, support and information to young people, and those who support them.

The funding has also been able to support organisations to work in partnership to add value to their activities. So far well over 3,500 families facing significant challenges have been supported.

The Third Sector Early Intervention Fund (TSEIF) was established in early 2013 and is administered by The Big Fund in Scotland. Today’s funding announcement means that the TSEIF and current SFPs will continue for a further year until March 2016.

Further information on the new funding will be published by the Scottish Government next month.

MY oh my! Enterprise funding for local projects

North Edinburgh’s MY Adventure and Fresh Start are among eight Edinburgh-based third sector projects to receive a share of £2.1m enterprise funding, it was announced today.

Enterprising third sector organisations will benefit from a further £2.1 million in grants to help them deliver services to vulnerable people in communities across Scotland. The cash, spread between 28 organisations, will be awarded through the Enterprise Ready Fund.

Finance Secretary John Swinney and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess visited Dalry Primary School, to see first hand the work of My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd, one of the projects to receive a finance boost through the fund.

Mr Swinney said: “I would like to congratulate all the 28 organisations that have been successful in securing their share of the £2.1 million made available through the latest Enterprise Ready Fund round of awards.

“Each and every one of the recipients are working in their own unique way to become more self-sufficient but more importantly for me, they are creating change at a local level.

“These organisations are excellent examples of how the sector is helping to create a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. This investment will help them deliver important services and opportunities to people across the country.

“My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd is a great example of an organisation providing training and employment opportunities to young people who are struggling to find work.

“We are working hard to address these employment challenges for young people through our Opportunities for All, which guarantees everyone aged between 16 and 19 is offered a place in training or education. We have also created thousands of additional Modern Apprenticeship places bringing our total target to 30,000 every year by 2020.”

The Enterprise Ready Fund gives priority to applications that mitigate the effects of welfare reform in Scotland.

Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: “For My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd this award will give them the opportunity to expand their service and increase their engagement.

“While we are already doing so much to mitigate the effects of welfare reform in Scotland, with independence, a welfare system aligned to our education system can address child poverty and educational under-achievement.

“We want to develop a society that not only provides fair support and decent opportunities for all but also protects the vulnerable in our society. The only way to guarantee that is to have possession of the powers to deliver it.”

The fund is being delivered by a consortium of third sector organisations led by Foundation Scotland in partnership with Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), Developing Strathclyde Ltd (DSL) and Social Value Lab.

Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We have been impressed with the wide range and quality of applications we have received so far, which showcase the innovative ways organisations plan to use their awards to make a real difference to the people and communities they serve.

“I would like to encourage new or developing third sector organisations who are considering applying to the Enterprise Ready Fund to do so before the final closing date of 16th of June.”

Case study: My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd

My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd provides sustainable short and long term personal development, training and employment opportunities for young people disadvantaged in the labour market. This may be through a combination of factors such as poor literacy skills, a history of anti-social behaviour, limited or no qualifications, or physical or mental health issues.

The organisation works with individuals to train and recruit them to deliver My Adventure’s range of commercial activities, for example climbing, cycling, coasteering, camping and equipment hire.

My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd has two full-time staff, three part-time staff, five sessional workers and two volunteers. The organisation will use the Enterprise Ready Fund award of £48,716 to expand its services within the corporate market. It will enable the organisation to purchase a minibus, and recruit a new member of staff who will focus on securing new corporate contracts.

It is expected that the investment will increase engagement and participation by up to 100 young people. The experience, confidence and skills gained by them will improve their chances of gaining long term employment, and improve the sustainability of the organisation, making it less reliant on grant funding in the future.

Jonny Kinross from My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd said: “This ERF grant will help ensure the sustainability and growth of My Adventure. By investing in a specific Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager we will be able to forge links with new customers, deliver fantastic opportunities to our clients and most importantly, drive our social impact forward – creating more training and job opportunities for young people.

“This investment will change the lives of 12 young people, who were furthest from the labour market when they joined our team and enable them to deliver activities locally to in excess of 100 children and young people as well as become confident enough to deliver to the corporate sector.

“By investing in social enterprise the Scottish Government is not just ensuring we meet these outcomes this year but will ensure we benefit the people of Muirhouse for years to come.”

The full list of Enterprise Ready Fund awards (Orgamisation, amount and local authority area) announced today:

Almond Valley Heritage Trust £103,772 West Lothian

Atholl Baptist Centre Ltd £117,343 Perth & Kinross

Canongate Youth Project £53,122 City of Edinburgh

Carrick Centre £32,439 South Ayrshire

Community Enterprise £138,632 West Lothian

Community Food Initiatives North East £144,691 Aberdeen City

COPE Ltd £112,312 Shetland Islands

Crossroads (Fife Central) Care Attendant Scheme £64,714 Fife

Footprints Connect £47,900 Aberdeen City

Forth Sector £250,000 City of Edinburgh

Forth Valley Social Enterprises £48,966 Forth Valley

Freespace £79,782 City of Edinburgh

Fresh Start (Scotland) £65,965 City of Edinburgh

Glasgow Watersports £47,374 Glasgow

LINKnet Mentoring £37,250 City of Edinburgh

Livingston Credit Union £33,940 West Lothian

Locavore £50,000 Glasgow

Maryhill Mobile Creche £73,931 Glasgow

My Adventure (Edinburgh) Ltd £48,716 City of Edinburgh

New Caledonian Woodlands £76,110 City of Edinburgh

Promoters Art Network £50,000 Highland

Senscot Legal £54,250 City of Edinburgh

Skidaddle £50,000 Stirling

Social Enterprise in East Lothian £99,376 East Lothian

Spruce Carpets £88,550 Glasgow

Theatre Nemo £47,061 Glasgow

Twechar Community Action £32,469 East Dunbartonshire

Whiteinch Centre Ltd £88,280 Glasgow

Further information and full details of the Enterprise Ready Fund can be found at: http://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/grants-and-funding-for-organisations/what-grants-are-available/enterprise-ready-fund.aspx

Spartans in the running for national award

One of North Edinburgh’s best known and most respected community organisations has been short-listed for a national award. The Spartans Community Football Academy is one of thirty projects from across the country in the running in this year’s Scottish Charity Awards – and you can vote for your favourite in the People’s Award.

Organised and staged by the Scottish Community and Voluntary Organisation (SCVO), the awards celebrate all that is best in Scotland’s third sector, recognising our country’s most innovative and effective people and organisations

Spartans is one of thirty organisations to have progressed to the final round of the Scottish Charity Awards, and an impressive ‘not so shortlist’ includes major national organisations, community groups, partnership projects and individuals who have channelled their energies into supporting their communities and making Scotland a better place to live.

The Spartans Community Football Academy (above) has become a key part of the fabric of north Edinburgh, offering sport, education and leisure opportunities to thousands of children and young people from North Edinburgh and beyond. Based at Ainslie Park, SCFA is succinctly summed up by Alastair Davis, the chief executive of Social Investment Scotland: “we never fail to be impressed, inspired and overwhelmed by the impact of Spartans. Their quality, dedication and passion sets them apart”. SCFA has been nominated in the Sporting Chance category.

Joining Spartans on the shortlist is another great local project, Leith-based The Junction (below). The Junction youth group and Port of Leith Housing Association got together to create purpose-built – and very popular – new premises for young people aged 12-21, offering counselling, health advice and support to young people.

For a full list of nominees and to vote for your favourite project in The People’s Award visit www.scvo.org.uk/charity-awards

Twitter user? It’s #ScotCharityAwards

The glittering awards ceremony, hosted by Kaye Adams, takes place at Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms on 5 June. Good luck to all the candidates – but really, you’re all winners already.

Spartans net share of social enterprise funding

The Spartans are among 67 enterprising third sector organisations to be awarded a share of £2.3 million social enterprise funding, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed today.

Spartans will receive almost £16,000 from the Enterprise Ready Fund and eight other city-based charities and voluntary organisations will also be supported.

The £6 million Enterprise Ready Fund, which opened to applications last September, builds on a number of current initiatives the Scottish Government has in place to continue to support a sustainable, capable and enterprising third sector.

The Finance Secretary’s announcement comes ahead of a trip to Oslo where he will plans to highlight the Scottish Government’s commitment to supporting the third sector at a conference on Social Entrepreneurship. It’s estimated that there are now between 3,000 – 4,000 social enterprises across Scotland and that that number is growing.

The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth said: “I would like to congratulate the 67 organisations which have been successful in securing grants from the Enterprise Ready Fund, ensuring the impact of these investments will be felt across Scotland.

“We believe that an enterprising third sector is a vital partner in our economy, in civic society and in the creation of a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. That is why we have invested heavily to help the sector develop.

“We have had a great response to the fund so far and I am keen to remind new, emerging and established third sector organisations that they have until 16 June to apply for funding. I hope that by investing in the third sector and enhancing its self-sufficiency we can look forward to a future where these organisations play a full role in public sector reform.

“Speaking at the Ferd conference provides an opportunity to share the experience of building a strong social enterprise sector, with our friends in Norway. Scotland has an excellent reputation for our work with the third sector. It is regarded as the best place in the world to start a social enterprise and there is increasing international interest in what some are calling the ‘Scottish Model’.”

The Enterprise Ready Fund will help organisations to develop, become more efficient and self-sustaining, or diversify into new markets. Priority is being given to activities that contribute towards the Scottish Government’s Prevention and Welfare Reform agendas. The fund is being delivered by a consortium of third sector organisations led by Foundation Scotland in partnership with Community Enterprise in Scotland (CEiS), Developing Strathclyde Ltd (DSL) and the Social Value Lab.

Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We are delighted with the wide variety of applications we have received so far, which showcase the innovative ways organisations plan to use their awards to make a real difference to the people and communities they serve. We hope this initial announcement will encourage new or developing third sector organisations to apply to the Enterprise Ready Fund before it closes on 16 June.”

Other Edinburgh-based organisations to receive Enterprise Ready funding include Children in Scotland (£24,840), Comas (£37,833), Grassmarket Community Project (£69,963), Greetings from Leith Ltd (£14,287), Nourish (Scotland) (£50,000), Power of Youth (£21,000), Spartans (£15,804), The Melting Pot (£25,000) and Transform Scotland (£49,544).

Further information and full details of the Enterprise Ready Fund can be found at:http://www.foundationscotland.org.uk/grants-and-funding-for-organisations/what-grants-are-available/enterprise-ready-fund.aspx