Glasgow housing associations are being invited to join the city’s Housing First revolution which is providing homes for people with long term, complex issues.
The city’s Health & Social Care Partnership and Housing First Delivery Group will host a virtual event on Thursday (26th Nov) explaining how the initiative is helping the most vulnerable homeless people rebuild their lives.
The invite only, online event is the first in a series for Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) who are interested in joining Housing First to stop the cycle of repeat homelessness among people with complex needs such as mental health and addictions problems.
David Bookbinder of Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, will open the event which will run from 2pm to 4pm and offer the chance to hear from an established Housing First tenant. There will also be speakers from existing partners including Glasgow’s Homeless Services, the Salvation Army, the Wheatley Group, Queens Cross Housing Association, Turning Point Scotland, Glasgow Housing First Consortium and the Glasgow Homelessness Network.
Jim McBride, Head of Adult Services at Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Housing First is proving very successful in Glasgow with support from a solid core of partners. Glasgow has already provided the largest number of Housing First tenancies in Scotland. Around 150 people have received settled, secure tenancies which are accompanied by bespoke and flexible support to give them the best chance in recovery, however, the more RSLs we have on board, the more people we can help.
“Thursday’s event aims to answer any questions organisations may have and explore some of the myths around how Housing First works in practice.
“If we can prevent repeat homelessness amongst this most vulnerable group, it can bring stability to people’s lives, improve life chances and provide a new start.’’
