Homelessness, Prevention & Housing Support
We offer the empathy, assistance and space people need to get back on their feet.
Our homelessness services cover a range of areas. We provide Housing Support, Tenancy Support, Housing First and Temporary and Emergency Accommodation services, including self-contained flats for young people and families, as well as emergency accommodation hostels.
We work on a referral basis. If you need help or support dealing with homelessness, please visit our get help now page for signposting to relevant agencies.
Tenancy Support
Moving to your own place after experiencing homelessness is exciting, but can also be overwhelming. There’s just so much to organise.
Our Tenancy Support service helps people who have moved on from our services to stay on their feet. It’s also available to anyone else who needs a helping hand.
Our staff can help with paperwork – such as updating universal credit circumstances, filling in housing benefit applications and making sure people get all of the state benefits they’re entitled to.
Housing First
For those who may struggle living alone, and may have experienced a failed tenancy in the past, our Housing First service offers flexible, intensive one-to-one support – on the person’s terms. They can contact their support worker whenever they need a bit of extra help, and they’ll arrange a time to visit.
This service is in demand, so spaces are limited to those who will benefit the most. Usually people are referred and nominated by their local authority or other services.
Temporary Accommodation
Every day is different in our group-living hostels. We currently manage seven of them, spread across Midlothian.
In our hostels, we promote independent living but also encourage routine. It’s up to our service users whether they want to go out and socialise or relax in front of the telly.
Our staff are hand-picked to offer dedicated support. Many have experience in dealing with substance misuse, mental health issues or alcohol dependency. We place staff with the most relevant skills in the hostels where they’re needed most.
Mental Health Support
Maintaining a tenancy can be overwhelming, especially for those living with complex mental health issues.
Our housing support staff can help with daily tasks like getting prescriptions, filling out paperwork, signing up for life skills courses, or help maintaining employment. They can even join in on errands like tidying the house, cooking dinner or doing the weekly shop.
For some people who need a bit of extra support living independently, for example after leaving hospital, we can provide specialist supported housing in West Lothian.
Youth Homelessness
Youth homelessness is highly prevalent in Scotland. Last year, over 8000 homelessness applications were made by young people in Scotland.
Around half of the people experiencing homelessness that we work with are under 25. We provide youth specific homelessness services, designed to support the unique life stage of young people as they transition to adulthood.
Our Horizons service is designed especially for those aged 16-25, and supports young people who are care experienced. We offer single occupancy flats, with dedicated housing support. The service gives young people the help they need to run a household – for many it’s their first experience living alone.
Our support staff offer assistance and guidance with basic life skills like online safety, sexual health, managing finances and gatekeeping. They can be a key worker for young people and work across agencies ensuring strong partnership support. Our services are delivered in a Trauma Informed way and adapt to the changing needs of the people we support.
Our homeless service is available to anyone aged 16 or older identified as homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. We also have a young people’s service, Horizons, which gives support to anyone aged 16 to 25.
We currently provide support for people experiencing homelessness in Midlothian, West Lothian and Edinburgh, Scotland.
We have a range of accommodation facilities across Edinburgh and the Lothians. This ranges from self-contained flats, temporary accommodation hostels, and specialist shared accommodation for people with mental health issues.
Our services are registered and regulated by the Care Inspectorate.
Referrals come through local authorities – either Housing, Social Work or Mental Health teams.
Are you, or someone you care about, at risk of or currently experiencing homelessness? Get help:
Working with Midlothian Council
We work closely with Midlothian Council to provide emergency help for people experiencing homelessness. During office hours, referrals to access emergency and temporary accommodation are directed through Midlothian Council’s housing services.
We provide Midlothian Council’s out-of-hours access to emergency accommodation.
For more information regarding emergency and temporary accommodation in Midlothian and how to access these services, you can visit this site: Midlothian Council.
