Podcast – Billy’s story

Simon Community Scotland release ‘Billy’s story’ podcast

“We recorded live and there is hardly anything edited out. It’s real and authentic. It’s us. It’s Billy. It’s life.” Yvonne, Simon Community Scotland

“I was lying in a lane with a needle hanging out my arm. If the Street Team hadn’t got to me, I’d have been a goner.” Billy, Glasgow

Simon Community Scotland has released a new podcast, documenting the need for safe places, support and hope for people experiencing homelessness in Glasgow. LISTEN HERE

Lorraine McGrath, CEO for Simon Community Scotland, said: “Our team makes connections with people who have had the most horrendous experiences, people with histories of unimaginable trauma and devastating daily despair. We also get to see people change their lives in amazing ways and see hope for a different future emerge where people can see themselves living into the future in place of a sense of hopelessness and resignation that life could end at any time.”

Lorraine continued; “These are stories that are not easily captured or conveyed for all kinds of reasons; including the pace at which we work and the need to protect people we support. Opening up to our team, based on a relationship of trust, is a completely different thing to opening up to a journalist or a camera. I hope what Billy has achieved here helps everyone see what really is possible.”

Yvonne Paton, , said; “Our new series of podcasts is all about safeguarding people we support, while allowing them to tell their story. We want to, and need to, humanise homelessness. Too often, we hear about statistics, we see media images of people in sleeping bags in doorways. Podcasts allow people the opportunity to tell their story, while protecting their identity.”

Yvonne added; “Other than checking that Billy was up for hosting our first podcast, there was no planning other than who to consider who Billy would speak with. We recorded live and there is hardly anything edited out. It’s real and authentic. It’s us. It’s Billy. It’s life.”

In episode 1 we hear from Billy who reflects on the time Simon Community Scotland’s Street Team found him overdosing in a lane off Buchanan Street, the importance of trust and relationships, and the variety of support he needed to give him hope. Billy also talks of where he is now;  studying, the return of his kids into his life and the possibility of a job.

Billy speaks with a variety of people in the Simon Community Scotland team; Yvonne (who Billy has known for a number of years) from the charity’s We See You harm reduction programme, Emma and Laura from the Street Team and Gregor from the Hub outreach team. 

Speaking of the podcast, Billy said; “I’d never really thought of all the wee individual things over the years. That stepping journey at the start has led to me getting my house, me getting my wife back, getting my kids back, studying … When I first came in here I couldn’t see 2-hours in front of myself. Now, my dreams and personal aspirations have grown”

Yvonne finished by saying; “Me and Billy are tight. We talk a lot and I can see that he is doing really well. I’m excited for his future, from where I have seen him, to looking at the man now.”

Simon Community Scotland is set to provide safe places and support to over 10,000 people experiencing homelessness through 2024, an increase of 25% from 2022.

You can listen to the podcast HERE immediately and it will be on a variety of streaming platforms including Spotify and Amazon later today.

Click DONATE to help support our work and make a difference to people like Billy.

ENDS

For further information please contact Murray Easton on 07729 390 558 or email murray.easton@simonscotland.org 

Notes;

For further high resolution images please email murray.easton@simonscotland.org 

VISION – Everyone deserves a safe place to live and access to the support they need

• There were 40,685 homelessness applications recorded in 2023-24. This is an increase of 4% compared to 2022-23 (39,308)
• There was a total of 31,870 open homelessness cases at 31 March 2024; an increase of 8% compared to 2023 (29,408)

• Simon Community Scotland is leading the delivery of new solutions for homelessness across Scotland.
• In 2024, the charity is set to support over 10,000 people experiencing or at risk of homelessness
  • Day in and day out, we are there for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness – providing empathy, care, support, information, advice, accommodation and homes.
  • We do this person-to-person on the streets, on the phone, through outreach support, in our hubs, through digital inclusion and harm reduction, in our emergency and supported accommodation services and our own SCS homes.
• We meet people where they are. We walk alongside them. We never give up.