Hard-hitting homing in on Campaign is the big issue
There’s fighting talk from Scotland’s housing and homelessness charity as it rolls out its new, brave, hard-hitting campaign.
The launch of the blunt, straight-talking ‘Fight for Home’ campaign follows research conducted by Shelter Scotland, which found that, to be truly effective in fighting injustice in the country’s housing system, the charity needed to be more bold and forthright – and, without doing so, it risked losing support.
The new ‘Fight for Home’ message aims to shine the light on the current housing emergency and provide a rallying cry for supporters to help Shelter Scotland bring that crisis to an end.
It can be seen on roadside digital screens and billposters across Lanarkshire, where support services exist for people who find themselves homeless or threatened with homelessness.
In South Lanarkshire in 2020/2021, 2225 homeless applications were made – that’s an increase of 135 on the previous year.
In 2020/2021 in North Lanarkshire, there were 1684 homeless presentations – a drop of 135 on the 2019/2020 figure (21 per cent).
The main reasons for applying as homeless have remained unchanged, with relationship breakdowns and disputes within households remaining the primary causes.
North Lanarkshire Council reported that the greatest decrease from the previous year related to evictions for rent arrears or mortgage arrears, following the change in Covid-19 related legislation, preventing landlords from evicting tenants for rent arrears.
Through ‘Fight for Home,’ charity Shelter Scotland aims to inspire, motivate, and challenge people to join it in whatever way they can, whether that’s campaigning for change, raising money, or fighting the injustice they face in their own lives.
The campaign introduced a new braver, more direct look and feel for Shelter Scotland in response to demands from its supporters, staff and most critically the people it exists to support and empower.
As well as on the roadside, the new Shelter Scotland brand is evident in its charity shops in Rutherglen, Motherwell and Hamilton.
When customers visit these shops or shop online, they are helping Shelter Scotland to provide expert advice, face-to-face support and legal guidance to people facing poor housing or homelessness.
The stores in Rutherglen and Motherwell are dedicated furniture shops,
Shelter Scotland on crusade to make people sit up and take notice ....
which play a key role in the fight to end the housing crisis.
In the store within Rutherglen Exchange Shopping Centre, manager Carolanne Nolan, her two employees and 39 volunteers – who range in ages from 16 to 72 – have embraced the new, more prominent branding, which she believes better communicates what the charity aims to achieve.
As Carolanne explained, everyone has a role to play in making Shelter Scotland part of the community in the three Lanarkshire towns in which it has a presence.
“We all have different abilities and capabilities here,” she said.
“We have people who cannot read or write, people who are retired and want to do something to fill their day, and people who have never worked a day in their lives and just need some experience of working alongside people.”
Among volunteers at the Rutherglen furniture store, which also sells pre-loved clothing, bric-a-brac, CDS, DVDS, games and books, is a man who’d spent 15 years self-employed as a sole trader.
When applying for jobs, prospective employers wanted evidence that he was capable of working as part of a team.
Because Carolanne and other store managers can act as a referee for volunteers like him after six weeks, he now has a glowing reference which demonstrates that he is a candidate who is an efficient and effective teamplayer.
Another volunteer who is frequently seen on the Rutherglen shop floor is university graduate, Kirsty Gilmour.
“It had been a long time since I had worked,” explained 23-year-old creative writer Kirsty, who began volunteering with Shelter Scotland in April.
“With lockdown, I was in the house for a long period of time. I was looking for something to build up my confidence and help me get back to being around people and socialising.”
As well as explaining to her how Shelter Scotland’s shops raise money in the fight against homelessness, part-time assistant manager Daniel Graham also gave her an insight into the charity’s Home Starts initiative.
It gives to people who have nothing – either because they have recently been released from prison or are fleeing an abusive relationship – all the things they need to set up home, from crockery to children’s beds.
“Volunteers help to select the things from a list of what they need, and I found that really inspiring,” said Kirsty.
“Danny told me that when the goods get delivered, the family will cry – and the big, burly delivery men will cry, too. It sounded like a really worthy cause and one I wanted to be a part of. It has given me a huge boost in confidence, as well as experience of working on a shop floor and at a cash desk.
I’ve always loved charity shops, and I like getting the first look at the things that come in.”
Among those items to be donated to the Rutherglen store recently was a colourful couch, whose sale is not only helping to put a roof over the heads of people affected by the housing emergency, it’s also enhancing the home of volunteer Kirsty.
The sofa arrived in the Rutherglen store for a second time, having been bought there previously by a Shelter Scotland customer who went on to re-donate it.
When asistant manager Nicola Waugh took delivery
of the sofa with its hues of green, orange, purple and pink and bright scatter cushions, she immediately thought of Kirsty and gave her a call.
“Everyone thinks I dress so colourfully,” explained Kirsty.
“I went down to see it and I immediately thought: ‘I need to have that.’”
Having paid £250 including delivery for it, the rainbow-coloured couch – which has now been at the centre of two transactions in Shelter Scotland’s Rutherglen store – now has pride of place in Kirsty’s flat in Tradeston, Glasgow.
For manager Carolanne, there’s a great sense of satisfaction in being able to give hard-working volunteers like Kirsty what they seek in exchange for donating their time to the charity.
“It’s about giving people the confidence, planting the seeds of what they can achieve and pushing them in that direction,” said Carolanne, who’s known by staff and volunteers as their ‘work mammie.’
“One girl who came to us had not worked for 15 years. She became one of my key volunteers and was in charge on a Sunday. She’s now been employed by KFC for 18 months. I hated losing her, but to see the elation of her face when she came in to say she got the job, there’s nothing to beat that feeling. That’s all a mammie could want.”
* If you are under the age of 16 and are either homeless or threatened with homelessness you can contact South Lanarkshire Council’s social work resources on 0303 123 1008.
If you are a young person at risk of becoming homeless, the council can help. Time 2 Talk, part of its mediation service, can help to reduce family conflict by resolving issues through mediation.
North Lanarkshire Council recognises that to be homeless or threatened with homelessness is a difficult and stressful time.
If you are worried about your housing situation, call freephone 0800 953 2424.
Interested in becoming a volunteer? Visit scotland. shelter.org.uk/shops/ rutherglen_furniture_shop to register your interest.
To donate high quality items, call 0141 530 4641 or email rutherglenshop@ shelter.org.uk and the Rutherglen team will collect them free of charge.