Category: Events

Let’s hear it for the policy writers, the strategy framers and the law makers!

Day 2 of the Safe As Houses conference was a celebration of the many unsung heroes of the moment, working rapidly to make substantial changes to law and policy to protect the people most at risk during the pandemic and lockdown. 

But what now? Today, through the theme of “A Day in the Sun for Good Law and Policy” we explored how we can build from these successes to ensure that good law and policy translates on the ground, every time and for every person. 

Today’s Ministerial Address and Q&A from Kevin Stewart MSP (Minister for Local Government Housing & Planning) was followed by a session with Marion Gibbs (Team Leader, Scottish Government) who provided an expert briefing that set the scene on recent and imminent law and policy changes to prevent and reduce homelessness. 

Our live lounge discussion on the challenges and opportunities of good law and policy was a lively session, with Ian Brennan (Director of Regulation, Scottish Housing Regulator), Professor Suzanne Fitzpatrick (Director of ISPHERE, Heriot-Watt University), Aaliya Seyal (Chief Executive, Legal Services Agency), Graham Thomson (Team Leader, Scottish Government), Alison Watson (Director, Shelter Scotland) sharing their views on the challenges and opportunities of good law and policy. Questions to the panel centred on what more can be done to make sure law and policy works on the ground. 

The afternoon saw the launch of a new consultation on the role of the private rented sector as a solution to homelessness. This work is part of series of route-maps from the Everyone Home Collective and was led by Lucie Dunn (Senior Best Practice Officer, Crisis Scotland).

HARSAG recommendations…made easy? You bet! This speed training session covered all 104 recommendations in 15-minutes – a must for busy people who want to know the HARSAG bottom line. And a useful briefing ahead of the panel session that followed, “Rapid Rehousing Transition Plans: the Platform For Recovery”. 

Marion Gibbs (Team Leader, Scottish Government) hosted Olga Clayton (Group Director for Housing and Care, Wheatley Group), Clare Mailer (Head of Housing, Perth & Kinross Council), John Mills (Head of Housing, Fife Council and Co-Chair, ALACHO), Jon Sparkes (Chief Executive, Crisis and HARSAG Chair) and Sally Thomas (Chief Executive, SFHA) in a live lounge discussion exploring RRTPS. While RRTPS have been described as the right platform for pandemic recovery, our panel explored the state of the nation and the question of when will RRTPs start to reap the rewards we all want.

Another jam-packed day concluded with a seminar chaired by Sir Andrew Cubie, exploring how we can take the politics out of homelessness and build a cross-party manifesto for ending homelessness in Scotland. With the 2021 Scottish Parliament Elections on the horizon, questions from the Everyone Home Collective, All in For Change Team and conference delegate were put to the main Scottish political parties.

If you didn’t manage to join us today, there’s still time to register for the final days of Safe As Houses, when our sessions “Same Storm, Different Boat” and “If We Don’t All Row, The Boat Won’t Go!” will explore the inequalities at the heart of homelessness and how we can make a collective impact on homelessness. Find out more about what’s still to come in Safe As Houses, and book your unique conference experience here

Thank you to everyone who helped make day 2 of Safe As Houses such a success. We hope to see you for day 3!

As we all continue to navigate the personal and professional challenges posed by a global pandemic, the links between housing and health – and the safety of ourselves and our community – have been laid bare. From the very start of lockdown, two urgent questions were posed: how can you stay at home if you don’t have one? And how can you be safe at home if your house isn’t safe? 

On the first of three days of debate and deliberation, Safe as Houses focussed on the themes of “A Global Pandemic” and “Whatever the Problem, the Answer is Relationships”, to reflect on the impact of the ongoing pandemic on housing and homelessness in Scotland. And importantly, to start building a shared understanding of how we can all move forward together. 

The theme of “A Global Pandemic” reflected the global response to homelessness, which continues during this pandemic, with different approaches and different results. During this session we explored the learning from different parts of the world and reviewed how Scotland’s response compared. 

A discussion with Juha Kaakinen, the Chief Executive of Y-Saatio, Finland, focussed on the important lessons that Finland, a global leader in tackling homelessness, provides for Scotland – in both its challenges and failure – as well as inspiration in the form of their new goal to eradicate all forms of homelessness by 2027. 

Homeless Network Scotland Chief Executive, Maggie Brünjes, then hosted a live lounge panel discussion with a truly global panel including Janine Kellett (Head of Homelessness, Scottish Government), Dr Indu Prakash Singh (City Makers Mission International and SLSMC, Delhi), Freek Spinnewijn (Director, FEANTSA), Lydia Stazen (Director, Institute of Global Homelessness) and Louise Winterburn (Deputy Chief Executive, World Habitat). This wide ranging discussion on the lessons to be learnt from the varying international responses to homelessness during the pandemic also touched on what impressed the panel – and what didn’t – about Scotland’s response to the pandemic. 

There are few things that matter more than love and relationships – all our lives are defined by it, for better or worse. The theme “Whatever the Problem, the Answer is Relationships” explored the role of social connectedness as the lynch-pin for personal and professional wellbeing, and why ‘kindness’ is returning to the language of support. With Pat McCardle, the Chief Executive of the Mayday Trust, we got to the heart of the matter, exploring how we can walk alongside people going through tough times, building from trust, strengths and choices. 

Senior and frontline colleagues including Becky Elton (Deputy CEO, Changing Lives), Alison Kennedy (City of Edinburgh Council and Change Lead, All in For Change), Janet MacKeller (Help Argyll and Bute Ltd and Change Lead, All in For Change) and Lorraine McGrath (Chief Executive, Simon Community Scotland) hosted a shared learning session focussing on how we can make choices based on connections and kindness – in an environment focused on targets and outcomes. 

Scotland will have no dormitory style night shelters this winter – a huge step at a critical time. We heard directly from the sector leaders, Bethany Christian Trust and Charles Maasz (Chief Executive, Glasgow City Mission), making this happen and learnt more about the alternative measures being put in place to make sure that nobody is alone this winter. 

We rounded out a jam-packed day with a self-reflection training event focusing on changes to homelessness services during lockdown and the opportunity to imagine a new landscape, with Homeless Network’s Change Lead, Peter Anderson. At this speed-training session, Peter launched Homeless Network’s new Learning Lounge, an expanded programme of learning and training options from Homeless Network Scotland.

If you didn’t manage to join us today, there’s still time to register for the remaining days of Safe As Houses, when you can choose from sessions covering “A Day in the Sun for Good Law and Policy”, “Same Storm, Different Boat” and “If We Don’t All Row, The Boat Won’t Go!”. Find out more about what’s still to come in Safe As Houses, and book your unique conference experience here.

Thank you to everyone who helped Safe As Houses get off to such a flying start. We hope to see you for day 2!

Would you like to help to end homelessness in Scotland?  Homeless Network Scotland have 3 vacancies on our Board of Directors and a nomination form can be found here.

You are warmly invited to the Annual General Meeting of Homeless Network Scotland.

Wednesday 21 October 2020 

held online at: https://www.crowdcast.io/e/hnsagm

This year, the AGM will be held via our online platform and take place on Wednesday 21 October at 5.00pm. Members will be able to participate in our AGM by:  

• joining the AGM in real-time via our online platform at https://www.crowdcast.io/e/hnsagm and watching presentations given during the AGM.  
• asking questions of the Board and our external auditor, by using the chat function on the online platform. 

We recommend registering on the online platform at least 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time for the meeting and test your computer camera and mic by visiting here: https://www.crowdcast.io/setup

This week is Challenge Poverty Week, an opportunity for you to raise your voice against poverty and unite with others in calling for a more just and equal Scotland.  

The Challenge Poverty campaign believes that too many people in Scotland are living with the constant pressure of poverty, and as we plan our economic recovery, we must redesign our economy to reflect the values of justice and compassion we all share. By boosting people’s incomes and reducing the cost of living we can make sure we all have what we need.

Challenge Poverty Week aims to:

• raise a unified voice against poverty and show that we all want to live in a more just and equal Scotland  
• build awareness and support for solutions to poverty.  
• change the conversation around poverty and help end the stigma of living on a low income. 

You can find more information on the campaign here or by following @PovertyAlliance and @CPW_Scotland on Twitter. Use the hashtags #ChallengePoverty #TogetherWeCan to support Challenge Poverty Week online.