IN a previous column, I invited Stuart Patrick, CEO of Glasgow Chamber of Commerce to spend an evening with me on the streets with one of the groups that does outreach work with rough sleepers.
Stuart had previously made comments around begging which had received some negative press, and I was keen to try to engage with him to mobilise the business community to join the fight to end homelessness in Scotland.
I argued that the business community could be fundamental to driving change in Scotland and eradicating homelessness for good.
Stuart was happy to accept my invitation and we were delighted when the Simon Community Scotland agreed to let us visit some of their projects. The charity is delivering a gold standard example in tackling homelessness with a multi-agency approach.
Stuart and I spent two hours on the streets of Glasgow with the street outreach team, walking round the city centre, talking to those begging and sleeping on the streets. The support workers knew each service user by their name and story, and we were touched by the attention to detail and professionalism, and the level of practical support they were able to give to each individual.
Government also has a role to play and there is much to be welcomed from the announcement this week by the Housing and Local Government Minister Kevin Stewart of the setting up of a national strategy group to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping.
A £50 million fund has been set aside to finance homelessness prevention over the next five years. Homelessness is a complex issue which needs to be approached from multiple directions.
Benefit sanctions, addiction, mental health problems, relationship breakdown, interaction with the justice system and many other factors lie behind the stories of those who find themselves begging and sleeping on the streets.
This announcement underlines the Scottish Government’s commitment to building a fairer and more inclusive society. Inclusiveness is one of the four pillars of Scotland’s economic strategy– and for good reason.
Eradicating homelessness benefits everybody. We will never have the thriving economy we all want to see until all citizens have a roof over their heads, and the support they need to play a full role in society.
I’d like to thank the Simon Community and other organisations working at the frontline of homelessness. They are leading the way in demonstrating a joined-up, thorough approach which we could all learn from. Building a better Scotland is everybody’s concern, and it starts now.
The Simon Community relies on private donations to continue much of its work. As part of my commitment to donate half my MSP salary, I will be making a donation of £1000 to the Simon Community. Donations can be made on their website at http://www.simonscotland.org/support-us/donate-today
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here