Tag: homelessness

A letter to Members of the Scottish Parliament

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Dear Member of the Scottish Parliament

Preventing Evictions During a Pandemic

We are writing to ask for your urgent support in extending an important aspect of Scotland’s coronavirus response. Please help prevent an increase in homelessness this autumn by supporting an extension to temporary safeguards relating to evictions.

The Everyone Home Collective came together early in the pandemic because we knew the conditions were being created for a surge in homelessness; we want to do all we can to prevent that. The Collective of organisations from across the third, academic, legal and advice sectors meet frequently on priorities to mitigate the worst impacts of the pandemic on people affected by or at risk of homelessness in Scotland.

A second wave of new eviction cases that may result from the social and economic impact of COVID-19 can be mitigated by Parliament extending the provisions from 30 September to April 2021 in the first instance. This was also a key recommendation of the expert Homelessness & Rough Sleeping Action Group.

We are concerned that if these temporary measures are lifted prematurely you may see an increase in homelessness in your constituency. With the pandemic far from being over and the lasting impact on unemployment unknown, this would be devastating for individuals and families and counter to good public health outcomes in the community.

Members across the Scottish Parliament can make sure that people with the most insecure housing and economic conditions do not shoulder the impact of this pandemic.

Evicting people into rooflessness is to be avoided at any time, especially during a public health emergency. It is crucial that we all play our part to prevent homelessness from happening in the first place and that we ensure tenants and landlords have the support they need to resolve any issues. The majority of evictions are due to rent arrears, and we counter the position that people who can pay and don’t are a significant number. The Collective are much more likely to advise and support people with rent arrears who have significant money challenges, people with many other life stresses, and people who avoid official correspondence because of mounting pressures affecting their health and wellbeing. Each case has a unique, very real and very human story. These households need our help, especially now and in the aftermath of this pandemic.

These are not ordinary circumstances. The emergency measures put in place quickly and with Parliament’s support have helped many people stay safe and well over the past few months. This is why we are urging you to support the extension of emergency legislation on evictions up to April 2021 in the first instance.

Yours sincerely

the undersigned

Homelessness charities to meet Minister

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Seven senior representatives of 27 charities and academic organisations in the ‘Everyone Home Collective’ will offer their support to the Scottish Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart MSP, during a private meeting later today (Tuesday 28 July). The group will also seek reassurance from the Minister on aspects of the Scottish Government’s plans to prevent and address homelessness as lockdown measures ease and businesses reopen.

Among the issues on the agenda for today’s discussion are extending emergency legislation on evictions to April 2021; preventing a return to rough sleeping for people living in hotels; the role of private sector (PRS) landlords in tackling homelessness in future; plans to scale up Scotland’s highly-regarded Housing First programme, which is a way of ending homelessness permanently; support for people who do not have access to the full range of benefits or housing due to their immigration status, known as ‘No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF).

The Collective includes respected charities and academic organisations, including many household names, working to end homelessness in all parts of the country. Together, they have agreed a ‘triple-lock’ of measures to protect the progress that has been made in accommodating most people who are currently homeless and frame the next steps. 

Today’s discussion will draw on these key asks contained in the Everyone Home Framework, submitted to the Scottish Government in May as a sector-wide response to Covid-19, as well as more recent developments and new information. The three themes are:

  • prioritise prevention, create as much housing capacity as we can now and make a long-term commitment to increase the supply of homes for social rent
  • permanently prevent a return to previous levels of rough sleeping in all areas
  • no evictions into homelessness, the end of avoidable evictions and the threat of illegal evictions.

Representing the Everyone Home Collective at today’s meeting are senior representatives from member organisations Crisis, Four Square, Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Asylum Seekers, Homeless Network Scotland, Simon Community Scotland, Scottish Refugee Council and Ypeople.

Janet Haugh, Chief Executive of Ypeople, will ask the Minister about the role that private landlords can play in helping to tackle homelessness.

Janet Haugh said: “As a collective we agreed to look at the role of private rented sector accommodation in preventing homelessness, and this becomes even more important as we edge towards autumn and winter. We want to explore the impact of any extension to the temporary rules on evictions and work together to find solutions, as well as support the government in discussions they may be having. We need quality, affordable options to end rough sleeping and tackle homelessness. Working alongside a range of housing providers including private landlords to identify suitable accommodation is the right approach so that the PRS can play a stronger role in a post-COVID recovery.” 

Janet Haugh – Chief Executive, Ypeople

Annika Joy, Project Director at Glasgow Night Shelter for Destitute Asylum Seekers, said: “We want to see an end to destitution in Scotland and protect the human rights of everyone who wants to make Scotland their home. The Collective is publishing a series of route maps and the next in the series is looking in detail at No Recourse to Public Funds. I will be asking the Minister how we can help bring together funders and partners and support the Scottish Government to provide services for people who find themselves without access to most benefits or housing choices – and how the Collective can support the Minister to engage the UK Government on this issue as immigration is reserved to Westminster.”

The next scheduled Route Map from the Everyone Home Collective on No Recourse to Public Funds and immigration status as it relates to homelessness is due to be published in August.

For more information visit www.everyonehome.scot or follow @homelessnetscot on Twitter.

Sponsor Mick’s Skydive for Homelessness

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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.”

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mick can do so at http://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/mick-wright84

Deciding how to help might be ignoring the obvious

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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.

SURVEY: Impact of Covid-19 on Homelessness Sector

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Crisis are conducting research to better understand the impact that Coronavirus has had on people experiencing homelessness, how it has impacted on the support that is needed, and what that means for both front line services, local authority and national government responses. The findings of this will be enormously useful to understanding next steps – please take part if you can. You can find the survey here.