We are proud to host Scotland’s largest networking and knowledge events on ending homelessness.
Across 3 dynamic days (20-22 October), Safe as Houses will explore what is needed to build forward from the last 6 months to make sure that homelessness services – and people directly affected – are not left carrying the can for a global health pandemic.
This year we are going online – but with no zoom doom or webinar fatigue! We are using a specialist conferencing platform to reach further and more creatively – and make sure every delegate gets a unique conference experience.
Join us as an event partner, sponsor or exhibitor and be centre stage at this key event. Find out more about how you and your organisation can get involved in Scotland’s annual homelessness conference here.
Full programme and booking information will be available soon – until then make sure to save the date, 20 – 22 October!
Maggie Brunjes, Chief of Executive of Homeless Network Scotland:
“We know homelessness is not always prevented or responded to quickly enough and today’s figures from 2019/20 show there is still work to do, despite such a determined policy environment in Scotland.
The system itself is outdated and too often doesn’t reflect what actually works and what matters. This is changing but change on the ground can be slow and the pandemic has heaped uncertainty onto an already complex problem.
“The causes of homelessness are predictable and most often rooted in disadvantage, which restricts people’s options. The figures also highlight housing supply and housing access issues and increasing the supply of suitable homes for families and individuals is pressing.
“Effective prevention can stop homelessness before it starts and a top-level group is working on how we can get better at this. If someone’s homelessness is not prevented that person should be accommodated quickly in normal, settled housing with the right support – this is the focus of Scotland’s rapid rehousing and Housing First approach.”
“The statistics released today do not include the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on homelessness: the ‘overnight’ success in lifting people out of rough sleeping, a ban on evictions and urgent measures by charities, councils and government to plan ahead for this winter. Nor do they fully reflect the first year of Scotland’s ground-breaking rapid rehousing plans coming into effect. However, the figures are a reminder that the big, structural systems change needed to end homelessness, which is well underway, must continue at pace.”
Full details are available on the Scottish Government website here
Some people are more exposed to a range of trauma and harm as a result of the circumstances they were born into. Some of the most harrowing experiences are lived by people from parts of the world where they are no longer safe and who ask from Scotland a place of safety, peace of mind and the opportunity to put their knowledge and skills to good use.
For others from across Europe who want to make Scotland their home, we can protect them from homelessness, exploitation and destitution by enabling the advice and support to formally settle here and to get on with building and living their lives.
Together, we can create a helping environment instead of a hostile one. This is our ambition, and it is shared by the Everyone Home collective, Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA). We have agreed to work together to develop a human rights-based pathway to safe accommodation and support for people who are destitute with no recourse to public funds (NRPF).
Having no recourse to public funds is for most people a temporary experience. We have developed a route-map which aims to mitigate the damaging impact of the experience of having no recourse to public funds.
Until the end of September 2020 we are consulting widely on this route-map. We need your unique insight and feedback so that we can improve and deliver this ambitious new approach. Together, we can end destitution in Scotland.
You can respond to our consultation here or by contacting us directly:
hello@everyonehome.scot 0141 420 7272 0783 443 7185 Join the conversation on social media at #EveryoneHome
In August, new dad, Michael (Mick) Wright, plans to jump out of a plane at 10,000ft to thank Glasgow’s Housing First programme for supporting him as moves on with his life after experiencing homelessness a couple of years ago.
Mick is due to take part in a sponsored skydive to raise money for the Salvation Army.
Glasgow’s Housing First programme provides normal settled tenancies to people with some of the hardest experiences of homelessness, and the Salvation Army undertakes wrap around support to help maintain tenancies and let people get on with building and living their lives.
With underlying health issues including diabetes, Mick experienced homelessness two years ago. He lost his job as a chef after experiencing some additional health issues. “I was really low. I was too proud to go back to my mum and dad’s,” says Mick. “I wanted to try to get a house of my own but I couldn’t afford the rent. I found myself just walking about and I ended up going to homelessness services.”
In September 2018, Mick secured a one-bedroom Housing First flat in Hillington and, since then, hasn’t looked back. Five months after moving into his new home, he met his new partner and they went on to have a baby boy, Freddie, in December 2019. He has also passed his driving test and hopes to find work supporting other homeless people.
Michael said: “Housing First has been amazing for me. It was magic when I got my one-bed flat and I would not have got to where I am now without the help of my Salvation Army case worker. We have moved to a wee house big enough for the baby and I want to get back into work when my health improves hopefully.”
“My life has turned around 360 degrees. I feel better physically and mentally. I’m in a good place now and I couldn’t be happier. My life is full of positive things. I have my two boys, an amazing partner and a new addition to the family. Hopefully now I can drive it will open more doors for me.
“A skydive is something I’ve always wanted to do and I want to give something back to the people who helped me. I will be jumping out of a (perfectly good) plane from over 10,000ft and free-falling at a speed of up to 120mph. Please help me raise funds to fight homelessness.”
Homeless Network Scotland recently made over 1,000 cash payments of £100 to people affected by homelessness, thanks to the Scottish Government’s Wellbeing Fund, supported by SCVO and the Hunter Foundation. The one-off payment was available to households in temporary homelessness accommodation, or people who have recently taken on a Housing First tenancy. Martin Gavin, Head of External Relations at Homeless Network Scotland, explains how it came about.
The coronavirus crisis is helping to shift the concept of direct cash transfers to people who need money away from the fringes of charity fundraising and into the mainstream, both in the UK and abroad. Schemes operating worldwide have enabled people to buy equipment to start a business or repair their homes, or simply supporting them to get by.
The Staying In Fund came about through a grant of £100K provided as part of the Scottish Government’s emergency response measures. The award of the grant to Homeless Network Scotland permitted us to use the money in the most effective way possible, and in this case simply providing cash or vouchers to people who need it was the preferred option. There is no good time to be short of money, but during this pandemic has been an especially stressful time and we wanted to help ease some money worries or allow people to clear money owed.
There is robust, well-researched evidence that providing money directly to people who need it is an effective response. American non-profit organisation, Give Directly, has been pioneering direct cash transfers for the past decade, according to its website delivering more than $160 million in cash directly to 170,000 families in different parts of the world. The organisation received funding from Silicon Valley tech companies and investors as the pandemic began to take hold in April. Research indicates that receiving a cash transfer has advantages beyond the initial payment, with some people who receive a payment experiencing a growth in income over time, with additional benefits relating to wellbeing and positive health outcomes also recorded.
Here in Scotland, people in temporary accommodation or a Housing First tenancy were able to apply with many applications coming through support providers such as Salvation Army, which delivers services across Scotland including Housing First support.
Kelly Storm, Service Manager at Salvation Army, said: “On a practical level people have been able to buy things like clothes, which they would not normally buy for themselves, items for their tenancies to help make their house feel more like home and also forms of entertainment, such as phones and DVDs, which have helped combat isolation during the lockdown period. We have been able to encourage people to shop in their local stores and supermarkets as well which has helped them connect with their communities. The fund has had an incredibly positive impact on all. For those really feeling the effects of increased isolation and boredom, the receipt of the voucher was a huge pick me up and really lifted their spirits.”
This round of our staying in fund is now closed but testing this method of providing support has demonstrated the value of direct cash grants for people who may have limited access to financial assistance, from friends or family members for example. For us, this confirmed that deciding how best to assist someone might be as simple as enabling them to decide for themselves.
People in temporary accommodation or Housing First were able to apply for the grant, including Lenny from Refrewshire, pictured, who received £100 of shopping vouchers in June.
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