"It's night and day from where I came from. I lived homeless for so long. Temporary accommodation gave me a bit of security but having my own locked door has made a huge impact on improving my mental health." SCS Homes Resident, Receiving Visiting Housing Support

“Looking at what's changed for me over the last 6 months, I could never have believed it, I have hope now.” Previous entrenched rough sleeper, currently in supported accommodation

“Having the chance to join in group activities allows me to stay off the streets and feel like a part of something.” 28 yr old male, currently on probation and living in temporary accommodation

As we write this, close to 5000 people in Edinburgh are experiencing homelessness - leading to the City of Edinburgh Council declaring a housing emergency in November 2023. People are desperately seeking safe places, spaces and support.

Streetwork at Simon Community Scotland is Edinburgh’s leading homeless support charity. In 2023, we helped over 9,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Day in, day out, we are there for people, providing empathy, community, support, information, advice, accommodation and creating pathways for people into their own homes. We do this person-to-person - through our street outreach teams, our 24 hour Freephone, in our Support Hub and Streetreads library. We provide supported accommodation services, support for people in their own homes and purchase safe housing.

We meet people where they are. We walk alongside them. We help people find their own safe place to be. We never give up. By doing this, we foster hope, we support people out of poverty and destitution, whatever their circumstances, responding to each person as an individual. We don’t just want to save lives, we want to support people to have a better quality of life.

But to do the work we do, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we desperately need more help. We are looking for donations to support our Edinburgh services and work with people to create support tailored to their needs.

£10 - Would allow us to buy some basic essentials to support someone into emergency accommodation - a safe place for a night or longer

£20 - Would help us provide A Safe Place welcome pack (fresh pyjamas, tea, coffee, snacks and toiletries) to welcome someone into one of our safe places - a supported accommodation service.

£30 - Would help someone to fuel their home for a week

£50 - Would allow us to support someone to essential appointments related to health, housing, welfare, social care or employability - steps needed to improve quality of life

£100 - Would help us provide food and resources for one of our community groups

£350 - Would fund digital devices for 5 people, including digital connection for 6 months each

£500 - Would allow us to run a We See You / Women’s Support / Creating Safer Communities Group

£1,000 - Would provide a ‘moving in pack’ to make an empty house a safe place - a home

You can find out more about Simon Community Scotland’s support services by visiting https://www.simonscotland.org/about/services/