Help for Homelessness

Diners at an Edinburgh restaurant have raised money to help tackle homelessness in the city.

The Hard Rock Cafe on George Street presented a cheque for £1660 to staff and service users from The Salvation Army.

The money was raised through the restaurant’s Take Time To Be Kind campaign, which saw all proceeds from the sale of its £1 wristbands go to the church and charity.

Iain Wilson, service manager at the Pleasance Lifehouse (centre for homeless people), said: "We are honoured that the Hard Rock Cafe has decided to support our work in this way.


“It will help us to continue offering compassionate support, a listening ear and practical help to many of the city’s homeless men and women.

Our lifehouses offer people more than just a bed for the night. They provide a safe space for them to take control of their lives and make positive choices.

"We have a great relationship with the Hard Rock Cafe and the staff there. I’d like to thank them for all their help over the past few years and I hope we can continue to count on their help for many more years to come."

Lesley Ross, sales and Marketing manager at the Hard Rock Cafe in Edinburgh, said: "We're delighted to continue supporting the homelessness work of The Salvation Army here in Edinburgh.

"Our relationship with The Salvation Army goes back a few years, with our staff having donated a lot of their time to help out at the Pleasance Lifehouse.


"As a result, the perception of homelessness among my colleagues and I has changed greatly. We have come to realise that homelessness is not just about people living on the street but also about vulnerable people who have fallen on hard times and who need a bit of extra support.

We are delighted to be supporting The Salvation Army as it celebrates its landmark 150^th year."

Two projects in the News

MP hails Salvation Army for its homelessness work

Danny Alexander MP has praised the Salvation Army in Inverness for its work in helping break the cycle of homelessness.

Speaking in the Inverness Courier, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and local MP, said the work of the Inverness Resettlement Project was making a real difference to the lives of many vulnerable people.

Mr Alexander met members of the church and charity, along with management and service users at the project  – which focuses on getting people into their own homes and supporting them.

He said “The Salvation Army is well known in Inverness for the invaluable housing support service it provides to individuals and families who are affected by homelessness, and UK wide for its creative, practical and compassionate assistance to those who need it most. To see that support first hand has been an inspiring experience.”

Meanwhile, the Inverness Resettlement Project has been making even more headlines in recent days, with its work profiled in a special feature in the Highland News.

The project supports 70 people a year who are experiencing homelessness, with specific help given to people suffering from long-term addictions such as drugs and alcohol.

Tom talks about the challenges of corps life

Corps assistant Tom Mitchell at Easterhouse in Glasgow has featured in The Herald Magazine.

Tom was the subject of the newspaper's latest 'What it feels like...' column, speaking about what it feels like to run a foodbank over Christmas.

He said: "We decided to set up the foodbank after my wife and I received a call from a local school where children were turning up hungry. It made us stop and think.

"It's great to see people progressing. One man who came to us had lost his money through gambling. We put him in touch with Gamblers Anonymous and now he has food in his fridge and money in the bank. He's got this spark and volunteers now."

Life changing?

In recent years there have been several changes in the way we operate our Social Service provision.

We no longer have dormitory hostels, moving towards individual rooms in Lifehouses. A hand out has become a hand up with personal dignity ranking high in terms of how we deal with those who need our assistance. There are challenges that come with this - not least that of funding our ever increasingly costly programmes.

But what is the greater cost? The provision of roof and mattress or the risk of someone dying (and people still do) on the streets of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Aberdeen?

Within The Salvation Army in Scotland an focus has been given in an aggressive way through providing high quality social ministry which is truly life changing. the work of the Floating Support Service based in Greenock, or the SHIELD project in Aberdeenshire are two great examples of mission and ministry as they enable people with chaotic and addicted lifestyles to remain in their own tenancy.

Our LifeHouses across Scotland provide food shelter and warmth - and spiritual challenge to those who need it.

The meeting Scotland Drug and Alcohol Strategy is ground breaking and life changing and is gaining respect far beyond The Salvation Army.

Add to this the raising of the spiritual bar in all of our social centres and we have a truly life changing social mission as defined in the Mission Scotland Mandate.

How are you and your corps / fellowship involved in serving stuffing humanity?