Public Health Scotland has launched a suite of information resources to improve collection of equalities data, including reports, leaflets and a new learning hub.
The launch comes after a collaboration between PHS, University of Strathclyde and Homeless Network Scotland, that investigated the key barriers to gathering equalities data, which historically has been poorly recorded.
Equalities data relates to patient information on protected characteristics under The Equality Act 2010, including age, disability, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, and sexual orientation.
Improving data quality will allow NHS services in Scotland to monitor and understand which groups of people experiencing disadvantages when it comes to health – who is or isn’t using services – and design services to meet patient needs.
An online survey of NHS Scotland staff with a duty to ask for equality data from patients as part of their usual healthcare role was also carried out.
Public Health Scotland said the engagement process found that barriers to patients providing information included information-sharing environments not feeling safe, secure or accessible, and experiences were not always free from racism or discrimination.
Healthcare staff highlighted they did not feel confident asking for equalities data and felt they did not have best practice guidance on how to do this.
Reflecting on the Islamophobic, racist and fascist violence we have seen in parts of the UK in recent weeks, the Everyone Home collective has one simple message for our friends, colleagues, partners and allies who are part of, or work with, minoritised communities:
We stand with you in solidarity and resistance.
As a collective we are committed to doing our bit to create a fair and equal society where everyone can live peacefully and be treated with dignity and respect. Having access to a decent home is a crucial part of that aspiration, one that extends to everyone in Scotland, whether they were born here or arrived seeking to build a new life.
Among our collective and across our broader networks and families are people from minoritised communities and from refugee and migrant communities and the services that support them. We especially acknowledge their heightened concern, and we say:
We will always be your allies.
There is no place in our society for anyone who spreads or acts on prejudice to create fear or harm, whether on the streets or online. Ignorance and hatred cannot defeat solidarity, compassion and aspiration – the values which will always underpin everything we do as a collective.
This month’s Network Briefing shares details of booking and sponsorship opportunities for Scotland’s annual homelessness conference in October, themed ‘Right here, right now’, spanning 2 days for the first time and delivered this year in partnership with Salvation Army.
Early bird tickets are open until the end of the month, offering a 20% discount – there’s a range of packages available, including residential options for maximum convenience. Got something to promote? Check out this year’s expanded sponsorship options.
We also announce a brilliant celebrity addition to the speaker line-up… who could it be ❓
And we bring news of the Supported Housing Task and Finish Group, which published its final report and recommendations with a launch at Queens Cross Housing Association’s impressive Wellbeing for Young People service, attended by Housing Minister Paul McLennan.
Elsewhere in the briefing you’ll find news of a great new appointment to HNS, themes for the next All in for Glasgow design session, and a great success story from Salvation Army’s Eva Burrows Centre in Cambuslang.
As ever there’s a wide range of news, research and coverage across a range of sectors. And we’re pleased to bring you details of upcoming training opportunities in our Learning Lounge. Enjoy.
Homeless Network Scotland are proud to announce the appointment of Mhairi Snowden, who will take up the post of Head of Policy and Programmes in September.
Mhairi joins HNS from the Human Rights Consortium Scotland, where she was Director, and has a distinguished record of work across public life in Scotland and across the UK.
With a background in policy and research around children’s rights, disabled students’ rights and social work research, Mhairi has previously worked in government and for Scottish and international non-governmental organisations.
Mhairi was the civil society member of the National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership and currently sits on the Leadership Panel for Scotland’s Human Rights National Action Plan and on the Scottish Government Human Rights Bill Advisory Board.
With legal rights around homelessness routinely breached in the context of a national housing emergency, Mhairi’s reputation as one of Scotland’s most prominent human rights defenders adds an extra dimension to the work of HNS and colleagues across the sector.
She played a leading role in making HRCS one of the most proactive human rights organisations in the country and is respected as a warm, inclusive and compassionate leader.
Mhairi said: “I am delighted to be joining the Homeless Network Scotland team. Scotland has a national housing emergency and homelessness is increasing – this should simply not be the case.
“HNS have such an excellent track record of enabling collaboration for system change, and I’m looking forward to being part of their work to see homelessness ended for good.
“I believe passionately that we need to do much better if everyone in Scotland is to be treated with dignity and respect – and that very much includes everyone having a safe and secure home.”
Homeless Network Scotland chief executive Maggie Brunjes said: “We were inspired by the calibre of candidates wanting to apply their expertise and talent to resolving homelessness.
“We know that Mhairi will bring to this senior role a very special approach and a unique blend of knowledge and skills that will benefit our work enormously. The board, staff and associates of Homeless Network Scotland are thrilled to welcome Mhairi to our team.”
The Supported Housing Task and Finish Group, appointed by Scottish Government and COSLA, has published its final report, recommending that national and local emergency plans should prioritise work focused on reducing temporary accommodation and the better targeting of shared and supported forms of housing.
The report was launched at Queens Cross Housing Association’s Wellbeing for Young People service in Glasgow on 24 July.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan, left, toured the modern facility which gives people aged 16-25 self-contained accommodation with flexible support, and chatted with residents.
This was followed by a webinar that offered an overview of the report from Homeless Network Scotland chief executive Maggie Brunjes and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations policy lead Eileen McMullan, who co-chaired the Task and Finish group, and a panel discussion and Q&A.
The minister praised the facility and told the Glasgow Times there could be opportunities for social investors who the Scottish Government has met with to get involved in similar projects.
The report charts a new direction to position supported housing more confidently among the range of housing options available. It recognises that most people can build and live their lives in an ordinary home as part of an ordinary community, but that supported housing should be available for a very small proportion of the population who are unable or don’t want to live in mainstream housing.
This should be a settled housing option for as long as someone wants it, and therefore breaking the stigma of ‘homeless’ supported housing altogether. The research clarified that people don’t want to share a bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, but do want the option of shared spaces.
The group also set out a vision of the best spaces for people to live in, the support on offer, and the funding and commissioning challenges and changes needed to make the report’s aspirations reality. Its report follows a comprehensive review over 14 months that drew on new research of people using shared accommodation and a survey of local authorities.
Key recommendations from the evidence-led review include:
An ideal model of supported housing offering a self-contained home in a smaller-scale setting, with its own bathroom and cooking facilities, easy access to great support, some common space, and consistent quality standards.
Maximising security of tenure for tenants plus fair funding arrangements to make sure no one is stuck in a life-limiting ‘benefit trap’ created by high rents.
Moving to a joint funding and commissioning model between health and social care partnerships and local authorities, to break the ‘care group’ stigma attached to supported housing’s legacy as shared ‘homeless’ accommodation.
The Task and Finish Group report provides recommendations to the Scottish Government, local authorities and housing providers to create a model that enables social landlords to remodel or reprovision existing models of supported housing.
The group built on work in the Shared Spaces research which clarified the role of supported or shared housing as a settled home option for the 2 to 5 per cent of homelessness applicants who are locked out or opt out of a mainstream tenancy.
The review was informed by evidence from expert contributors on housing and support themes, a survey of 19 local authorities providing supported accommodation across Scotland, case studies of existing good practice, and lived experience expertise.
Shona Stephen, QCHA chief executive, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Housing Minister to our new housing development for young people. We are very proud of the exceptional quality of accommodation provided by Queens Cross Housing Association and by its Housing First for Young People support team.
“We work together to provide homes for young people and the support needed to allow them to flourish in their tenancies. Our success is rooted in kindness, in never giving up and in a shared commitment to our young people across the organisation from staff to Board Members. The benefits of close collaboration between the support team and the landlord can be seen in the successes achieved by the young people themselves.”
Maggie Brunjes, Homeless Network Scotland chief executive, said: “Homelessness policy has undergone radical modernisation in recent years and transforming the way supported housing is used to support a small group of people is the final piece of the puzzle.
“While this report arrives in a landscape dominated by the housing emergency, it sets out all the evidence and the steps needed to reframe supported housing as an option that will help to address homelessness for people facing a range of social, health and economic disadvantages. Queens Cross Housing Association provides an excellent example of how that is done.”
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “I welcome the publication of this report, which explores how supported accommodation can make a positive contribution to preventing and responding to homelessness.
“The Scottish Government remains committed to tackling homelessness and improving the supply of social and affordable housing in Scotland. We will carefully consider all of the recommendations set out in the report and will respond in due course.”
Sally Thomas, Chief Executive at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations said: “It’s essential that our housing system is fair and meets everyone’s needs, particularly at a time of a national housing emergency and record homelessness.
“This vital report sets out the importance of a joined-up, multi-agency approach and one of the core aims is to help to reduce the stigma of supported housing.
“Queens Cross Housing Association, like many SFHA members across Scotland, not only provide high quality, warm, affordable homes, they also offer a vital lifeline in supported housing to help individuals overcome many of the barriers associated with homelessness.”
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.AcceptRejectPrivacy policy
You can revoke your consent any time using the revoke consent button.Revoke cookies
