World Homelessness Day: Home at the heart of recovery by Jennifer McAughtrie, Head of Services
“I was so stressed not knowing what I would do. I wanted to get better so I could get back into work, but everything kept getting harder so my mental health just got worse. By the time I got the eviction, I just felt numb. I didn’t have time or energy for the future, it was just the pain I was feeling now.
I honesty didn’t have much hope when I went to Aberdeen Cyrenians, but they really helped me get back on track. I feel like I have the guidance I was aways missing to help me get control again. It gives me confidence that I have a chance to sort out my life and start to make plans again.”
The support given to Simon* gave him hope to rebuild his future.
He was helped to find a more affordable place to stay, helped to access support for his mental health challenges, and to access the benefits he was entitled to while off work due to his mental health. He was introduced to community groups where he could rebuild his self-confidence, as well as opportunities for skills development to increase his resilience.
“It’s not much so it’s difficult, I still need extra help like the foodbank to keep me going, but once I knew I had a bit of money coming for rent, at least I could focus more on me and getting better. Now I’m also looking at getting some training and changing career so when I get back into work I can cover my bills better. Work doesn’t pay much so I’m still a bit worried, but at least I know where I can get help. I don’t feel so alone anymore, there’s lots of folks struggling like me.”
Having a place to call “Home” is the foundation of recovery. A safe, secure, and stable home is a fundamental need and basic human right. Home is so much more than a roof over your head, it is where you should feel at ease in body and mind. Home is a place to recharge and recuperate. Home is a place you should feel safe. Home gives you stability and the opportunity to grow.
Today is World Homelessness Day, recognising the significance of housing to personal wellbeing, a day to champion vital support, and recognise and listen to the invaluable voices of those with lived experience in responding to the current challenges.
It is also World Mental Health Day, a significant factor in creating homelessness risk for those that suffer from poor mental health and adverse experiences, and in turn a symptom and outcome of homelessness due to the heavy burden of stress, anxiety and the erosion of dignity.
Yet in a world where we all recognise the vital importance of having a safe place to call home, the reality is that homelessness is on the rise in Aberdeen.
Did you know that there has been a worryingly 72% increase in homelessness cases in Aberdeen, the joint biggest rise in Scotland?
Did you know that there has been a 22% increase in the number of families in the North-east forced into temporary homes?
Did you know that in the last 6 months, in Aberdeen there has been a 31% rise in children classed as homeless.
These devastating figures are a very sad reality we live in. This is not the Aberdeen we want.
What is homelessness?
Homelessness can mean many things such as sofa surfing, relying on goodwill of friends and family, but having nothing long term. It can mean living in temporary accommodation that gives no security, requiring frequent moves or often access to basic requirements like cooking facilities. It can also mean sleeping rough, or living in unsafe, unsuitable, and insecure housing with an abuser, in poor quality or overcrowded rooms
Aberdeen is a city of compassionate and caring people who believe in justice. We see every day, the number of people who want to help make a difference.
House of St Barnabas ‘Homelessness Is’ campaign video explains the wide range of lived experience of homelessness.
Safe, Stable and Sustainable Housing for All
Often homelessness means living in temporary housing which can be unstable and unsafe, with people left in constant limbo.
Not knowing where you are going to live, fearful, anxious about the future, worrying about heating and eating also harms wellbeing.
Lack of social housing is also forcing people into private renting which is throwing people deeper into poverty.
With the rental market skyrocketing at a worrying 8.3% year on year in Scotland, competition for affordable housing is extremely high.
For people who receive low-income benefits, are disabled, older, in abusive situations, and have children: the risk of poverty is higher. These groups of people have specific housing needs and our housing sector is simply not adequate to supply the demand.
Aberdeen: A Place Where All People Can Prosper
In Aberdeen, some progress is being made but it is too little. Shelter recently reported that there are fewer people sleeping rough but there has been an increase in temporary accommodation. Homelessness applications were up by 20% and fears of a homelessness crisis now feel all too real.
One of the solutions is to build more social housing with the Affordable Housing Supply Programme target of building 38,500 social homes by 2026. Aberdeen has already built 467 this past year beating their target of 270. But we also need more long-term rent controls, which has recently been announced for Scotland as a way of tackling homelessness.
We believe that prevention of homelessness is the best way forward. Which is why our services focus on home as the foundation of our support and everything related to home.
We must have safe, secure, and stable housing but to do this we need more safe housing and affordable rent.
When we peel away the layers, we see that there are more considerations to homelessness or risk of homelessness than meets the eye.
They include the importance of looking after our wellbeing, physical, mental, and emotional safety, and social inclusion. Without these, any one of us could become at risk of being homeless. This is why we started our Settled Housing Support service.
Settled Housing Support
Our Settled Housing Support service works to ensure tenancies are suitable and meet the needs, of the service user, as well as offering support to build the skills and resilience necessary to maintain their tenancy.
Our specialist trained support practitioners work using a positive strength-based approach in a caring environment with service users to support the management of a tenancy, promote independence and improve health and wellbeing.
The services support people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness or may be struggling to access property in preferred areas with many also experiencing issues such as in-work poverty, overcrowding or struggled to access suitable accommodation.
We support anyone over the age of 16 and people can self-refer to our Settled Housing Support by emailing shsreferrals@weareac.org.
Together We Can Challenge Homelessness & Poverty
Now is the time to join forces with us and help challenge homelessness by fighting for social justice and inclusion. Join the fight and make a difference today. Sign up to our mailing list and we’ll keep you informed of all the ways you can help including volunteering, spreading the word, fundraising, collecting donations and more.