In 2016, Alison joined Glasgow City Mission to make a difference. Before this, she had started feeling de-moralised by aspects of her life that weren’t aligning with her values or priorities. She hoped that her new role at the Mission’s Night Shelter would restore her sense of purpose, and feed her passion for supporting marginalised individuals. Alison has returned for many winters since to support local people experiencing homelessness. We are delighted that Alison is with us again for our 2024/25 Winter Project, this time as a Housing Settlement Officer (HSO).
Working as a volunteer at Glasgow City Mission’s Night Shelter at Lodging House Mission, Alison and her team welcomed around 40 individuals each night in need of emergency accommodation to stay on mattresses on the floor. She returned in 2020 to support individuals at our Overnight Welcome Centre. This shifted to a hotel-based model when government directives ordered everyone on the streets to move inside to minimise the spread of Covid-19. Alison told me that this is when the Centre’s partnership working began to grow. Maintaining close relationships with local organisations including the Glasgow Health and Social Care Partnership and the Police became crucial for ensuring that vulnerable people were given the wrap-around support they needed. Partnership working has remained a priority for the team ever since.
In 2023/24, Glasgow City Mission operated an Overnight Welcome Centre at our base in Crimea Street. Alison recalled that this season was particularly challenging because in November 2023, Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency. More people accessed the Overnight Welcome Centre than ever before, with many people queueing outside the building. The demand for accommodation outweighed the provision we could offer. A night team welcomed guests, quickly gathering details and assessing their situations to do what they could to help with their housing issues. The service was so busy, Alison told me, that it became difficult to offer each person the time and attention they needed to explore, understand and advocate for their housing needs.
This season’s Winter Project is different. Instead of operating overnight, Alison and five other HSOs operate in the day-time to connect with people in temporary accommodation, link them up with the support they need from partner organisations and advocate for their housing applications to be moved along as quickly as possible. The team provide a drop-in day service to assess and aid individuals in need of housing advice, and support those at risk of rough sleeping for the night to find a safe space to stay. HSOs help individuals to integrate into their local community by showing them around the city. Once their accommodation is secured, they assist individuals with sourcing furniture, white goods and decorating materials to transform their bare flats into homes.
What Alison particularly enjoys about her role this year, is the time she now has to get to know each person she supports. “The job’s about relationships and the most important partners are the guests”, she told me. Alison enjoys learning about each person’s life and feels privileged to work together with each individual to help them meet their own needs so that they flourish in the city. Many of these individuals come to the Mission feeling afraid, isolated and lonely. Helping to alleviate those feelings by developing trusting relationships with them, boosting their confidence and connecting them with people and organisations that can provide support is crucial. Alison feels particularly passionate about building capacity in guests to independently and confidently manage their own challenges and feel positive about their future. She has cherished the opportunity to explore this area of work to a greater depth in the new Winter Project.
Alison’s long-standing service supporting people experiencing homelessness is something to be celebrated. She has a unique insight into the evolving needs of local people experiencing homelessness in the city over many years, and has blessed our team this year with her skills to support people to find stability, peace and fulfilment.
