At Homeless Network we know the importance of working together and sharing knowledge.
We asked the people who make up our wider collective network some questions about their perspectives on the importance of shared learning, collective impact, the ingredients for successful collaboration, and their own unique contribution to the process of making change.
This is what they said.
The risk and impact of homelessness is not distributed equally. Some groups of people are more affected by, overrepresented in, or excluded from the homelessness system.
This morning we kicked off the final day of Safe As Houses by exploring how homelessness discriminates in the same way as the pandemic and the consequences of this, including how this health, social and economic inequality affects us all and what levers we can pull to increase equality and advocate for a fairer society for all of us.
A discussion with Ruth Robin (Portfolio Lead (Place, Home & Housing), NHS Healthcare Improvement Scotland) explored the importance and practicalities of joined up working across housing and health, particularly now that the pandemic has shone a light on the relationship between health and home.
We were thrilled to welcome Eloise Nutbrown (Policy Manager, COSLA), who launched the Everyone Home Collective’s latest route-map, setting out a new future for NRPF and the people it affects in Scotland in our session on ending destitution and protecting human rights. You can find out more about the route-map here
Homeless Network Scotland Change Lead, Michelle Major, hosted Deborah Hay (Policy & Partnerships Manager, Joseph Rowntree Foundation), Pam Hunter (Chief Executive, Say Women), Peter Kelly (Director, Poverty Alliance), Elodie Mignard (Programme Manager, Scottish Refugee Council andHomeless Network Scotland Board) and Ruth Whatling (Team Leader, Scottish Government) in a live lounge discussion exploring what it will take to create safety and equality in Scotland. The speakers touched on both positive developments that we can build on, as well as obstacles to creating a fairer and more equal society.
The afternoon’s theme “If We Don’t All Row, The Boat Won’t Go!” centred on how we each find our role to make a collective impact on homelessness, and the perceptions of wider society and its role in preventing homelessness before it happens.
Scotland has corrected its course to resolve homelessness with a new method, a national plan and 32 local plans. The new direction that all partners are now navigating promises better and more cost-effective results, but many obstacles to change still persist.
The spoken extract from a new book by award-winning journalist and author Mary O’Hara offered an insight into one of these obstacles; the toxic poverty narrative that often pervades conversations around homelessness. How we can overturn the deep-rooted portrayal that poverty is caused by personal flaws or ‘bad life decisions’ rather than policy choices or economic inequality is the central question of “The Shame Game”, and indeed a question that all of us working to end homelessness in Scotland grapple with.
The challenge of overcoming established narratives was also a central theme of the live lounge discussion which followed. Hosted by Carolyn Sawers (Deputy Chief Executive, Corra Foundation) and featuring Catherine Ashford (Strategic Communications Project Manager, Crisis), Fiona Garven (Director, Scottish Community Development Centre), Sylvia Douglas (Founding Director, MsMissMrs), Hannah Green (Lived Experiences Specialist, Centre for Homelessness Impact) and Twimukye Mushak (Senior Fieldwork Development Officer, Poverty Alliance), this discussion explored how the framing of homelessness and public perceptions have changed since COVID-19.
In the second launch of the day, Dr Beth Watts (Senior Research Fellow, Heriot-Watt University) unveiled important new research which aims to capture the scale and type of supported housing that is needed in Scotland, within a culture that remains open to choice, options and rights.
Representatives from the Change Team, an inspiring group of people with personal and frontline experience of homelessness in Scotland, hosted the next session, with a special surprise especially for Safe As Houses delegates!
The Everyone Home Collective, Scotland’s Housing First Pathfinder and the Glasgow Alliance to End Homelessness – along with input from delegates on the day – shared thoughts and ideas on what can we learn from those reaching across sectors and professional boundaries to make a collective impact. With the takeaway message that ending homelessness in Scotland is possible if we work together on what works and what matters, this inspiring session helped us to rethink how we move towards a new culture of collective leadership and impact.
The day – and conference – drew to a close with a unique and thought-provoking goodbye story from Ishbel Smith (Founder, Heart in Mouth).
Across all three days of debate and deliberation, Safe as Houses provided an opportunity to reflect on the impact of the ongoing pandemic on housing and homelessness in Scotland. It has been a celebration of the extraordinary efforts across all areas – from colleagues on the frontline walking alongside people during the crisis, to policy makers shifting focus to protect people most at risk.
Crucially, it has also been a moment for us to come together to consider the aftermath of the pandemic and explore the challenges ahead – some new, some familiar – where we will need to sharpen our focus on housing supply and deepen our competence on inequality. We hope that you, like us, feel that across these three days we have laid the foundations of a shared understanding of how we can all move forward, together.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the final day, and all three days, of Safe As Houses such a success.
If you missed out, highlights and shared learning will be available on our social media channels over the coming weeks.
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!
“The winter months ahead could have a devastating impact on people who don’t have a home, we must get this right.”
Maggie Brunjes – Chief executive, Homeless Network Scotland
Charity and academic sector leaders will use this year’s Scottish homelessness conference from Tuesday 20 to Thursday 22 October to urge people and organisations in Scotland that are concerned about homelessness to keep up the pace as winter approaches.
A rapid response from the sector and government in March focused on getting people inside. The online event titled Safe As Houses will explore what is needed to build on that success and continue progress made before the pandemic so that homelessness services – and the people directly affected – are not left carrying the can for a global health pandemic.
Homeless Network Scotland organises the annual event, which this year offers delegates a choice of seminars and interactive online sessions, with more than 300 booked to attend. Event partners for the 2020 conference are Bethany Christian Trust and The Salvation Army.
The Scottish Government’s updated Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan published earlier this month, is the backdrop to one of the cornerstone sessions at the conference on Wednesday, an interactive Q&A with Kevin Stewart MSP, Scotland’s Minister for Local Government, Housing & Planning.
Maggie Brünjes, Chief executive of Homeless Network Scotland, said:
“Few of us will emerge from this pandemic unaffected by it, but not everyone is in the same boat. The pandemic has laid bare the inequality and unfairness at the root of homelessness. How can you stay at home if you don’t have one, and how can you remain safe at home if that home isn’t safe?”
“This is the first opportunity since the start of restrictions for all those concerned about homelessness in Scotland to connect on this scale. We want to highlight the extraordinary efforts of individuals and organisations during the first stage of the pandemic, from those experiencing homelessness who faced added uncertainty on top of an already stressful situation, to colleagues on the frontline walking alongside people during the crisis. Plus the many, many people behind the scenes shifting focus and financial support to where it was needed.
“Now, almost eight months in, there must be no let-up in the pace needed to get everyone home. There is no good time to be homeless, but the winter months ahead could have a devastating impact on people who don’t have a home – we must get this right.”
The Safe as Houses conference is built around five themes.
Lydia Stazen, Director of the Institute of Global Homelessness in Chicago, is taking part in one of the first sessions on Tuesday morning titled ‘What Just Happened?’, which also includes panel members from India and Holland for a global perspective.
Lydia Stazen said: “The past six months have accelerated global efforts to end homelessness and taught us so much about what works – and what doesn’t. Safe as Houses provides a platform to adapt and tailor those lessons for Scotland.”
Sir Andrew Cubie, Chair of Scotland’s Housing First Advisory Group, will chair a political discussion on Wednesday afternoon titled, ‘Taking the ‘P’ Out of Homelessness’. Ahead of the Scottish Parliament Elections in May this seminar will debate how to take the politics out of homelessness in Scotland, with all five political parties at Holyrood invited.
Sir Andrew Cubiesaid: “In this most difficult year, and as we approach a winter of acute concern, I welcome the opportunity of gathering folk together again who are dedicated to bringing homelessness, as we know it, to an end.”
Pat McArdle, CEO of Mayday Trust, joins the conference for a session as part of theme two, ‘Whatever the problem, the answer is relationships’. This theme will explore the role of social connectedness as the lynchpin for personal and professional wellbeing, and why ‘kindness’ is returning to the language of support, with a stronger focus on fixing the big problems like access to money and housing.
Pat McArdle said: “I am genuinely delighted to be part of this conference with all the key stakeholders in the room bravely discussing the real-world issues raised by people themselves who are going through the toughest of times.”
Booking is essential, reserve a place at Scotland’s annual homelessness conference and set up a profile ahead of the event to join on Tuesday 20 October 2020 from 10am.