Programmes - Simon Community Scotland

Our programmes

Everything we do is informed by the people we support. We are always asking – what else can we do?

Our team and the people we support have helped inform how we work within each of these programmes.

Get Digital Scotland

Our trailblazing Get Connected 100 project saw us give mobile phones/tablets, unlimited data & training to 100 people experiencing homelessness. The results were life-changing and we have now taken the project to another level with Get Connected 500.

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Gambling Harms and Homelessness

Gambling Harm is a new space that Simon Community Scotland has entered, and with the release of The Gambling White Paper in April 2023 we are in a unique position to be at the forefront of change. We received 12 months of funding from Gamble Aware, in partnership with Fast Forward, to support and raise awareness of gambling harm among people we support and staff in our services.

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Trauma Informed Care

Our Trauma Informed services provide a safe environment that ensures the people we support and our staff feel physically and psychologically safe. Any decisions are made with transparency, with the primary goal of building and maintaining trust and we try, where possible, to ensure an early intervention approach.

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Period Friendly Project

Our Period Friendly Project was designed to provide free period products for anyone who menstruates and is experiencing homelessness. Scotland became the first country in the world to make it a legal right to access free period products in November 2020 and we are working with Glasgow City Council to ensure continuity of supplies to those who need them, in places they can easily access them.

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Stay Safe, Stay Warm

We want to help people recognise the signs of hypothermia and how they can help people they think are at risk. As our colleagues in Scottish Mountain Rescue tell us, the most effective solution to hypothermia is ‘we get them off the mountain’. Our most effective solution to hypothermia is to get people off the streets.

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Safe in Scotland

Safe in Scotland provides dignified accommodation and trauma-informed support for people experiencing asylum-related destitution. Safe in Scotland is now part of Simon Community Scotland.

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Fair Way Scotland

We have dedicated support workers in each of our Edinburgh and Glasgow Hubs, supporting vulnerable EU and EEA nationals who want to stay and make lives for themselves in the UK post-Brexit. We also have a small amount of emergency accommodation for this group.

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By My Side

By My Side is Simon Community Scotland’s new harm reduction App which will host information and resources created by women who use our services, covering topics which are important for women using drugs in Scotland today.

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We See You

We See You is our new CORRA funded project, supporting people who use substances and who are experiencing homelessness in Glasgow City Centre. Running 7-days per week from our award winning Glasgow Access Hub.

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Streetreads

Streetreads takes books and stories to people affected by homelessness. Stories offer a great way to escape the realities of trauma and tough times, a chance to lose yourself in another world, to find solace, adventure, new horizons. They also help us start conversations and build the connections that are vital to recovery from homelessness.

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Harm Reduction

Simon Community Scotland have moved to a high tolerant harm reduction model across our services, resulting in a huge decrease in drug-related deaths – from 11 in 2020, to 1 in 2021. This is an evidence-based approach, also adopted in other parts of the UK, proven to reduce drug deaths, tackle stigma and improve relationships for people accessing services.

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Street Change

The Street Change initiative is an alternative giving platform which gives the Street Team quick and easy access to funds which allows them to offer an immediate, tailored solution to someone who may be in crisis. By reducing the need for some to beg on the streets we can help restore dignity and a sense of self-worth.

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Street Support

Street Support is a digital resource developed by researchers and community partners to improve support for people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Funded by Simon Community Scotland, Street Support Edinburgh and Glasgow are accessible via web browser and smartphone App, providing emergency advice and signposting to support services to those who are vulnerable or experiencing homelessness.

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