Category: News

Sponsor or exhibit at Scotland’s annual homelessness conference

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Spread your message by sponsoring or exhibiting at this year’s 2-day homelessness conference, the sector’s largest annual gathering. Reach thousands of homelessness, housing and health and social care professionals in the build-up, and hundreds of delegates over both days.

This year the conference theme is Right Here, Right Now – focusing on the steps that need taken across 4 urgent themes – housing supply, prevention, rights and duties and supporting people. We’re proud to bring you the event in partnership with the Salvation Army.

You can join our main sponsors, who include Blue Triangle, Care Support Scotland, St Martin-in-the-Fields Charity and the Wheatley Group. Or you can select from a range of new opportunities we are offering this year for you to play a key part in the event and to showcase your organisation, its services, solutions, latest learning or messages.

New additions including options for you to host a fringe event where you can highlight a piece of work, provoke discussion, create a networking space – or do something completely different!

Other new opportunities include sponsorship of a networking lunch or dinner to treat the delegates, plus options to advertise in the programme, brand breakout rooms and exhibit in Perth Concert Hall’s bustling foyer.

Check out our brochure detailing all the options and pricing, with a form to book your preferred exhibition and sponsor options. Or if you prefer, get in touch by emailing hello@homelessnetwork.scot

Download the brochure

Health body launches tools to boost equalities data

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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.

➡ Read more and find links to the resources here.

Everyone Home collective statement on far-right violence

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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.

August Network Briefing

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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.

Read August’s briefing

Homeless Network Scotland welcomes Mhairi Snowden to senior role

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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.”