Entering the Cyrenians’ Aberdeen base, Donna Hutchison tells us to forget the cliches about homelessness.
The tireless volunteer explains that there can be many reasons for people to seek a new roof over their heads, and that the definition extends far beyond the unfortunate folk we see sleeping rough in the city centre.
The figures in the Granite City are rising as more and more people seek help for the first time in their lives.
These statistics are spiking in part due to family friction – which can often follow a young person coming out as LGBTIQA+.
But it’s much more than just that. Charity leaders say there is a “tale of two cities” at play, with the “extreme” gap between wealth and poverty only growing wider.
I’m visiting with councillors just weeks ahead of tough budget decisions that could have an impact on the charity.
And Cyrenians volunteers are making it clear that they need every penny of funding they can get.
How does rising homelessness impact on public purse?
Aberdeen City Council is struggling to cope with rising levels of homelessness and the issue is hitting the local authority’s already strained finances.
A recent report warned that “significant levels” of temporary accommodation are needed to ensure those in need have a roof over their heads.
And the issue is getting worse, with it deemed an “emerging cost pressure”.
It also said the need for temporary housing had “considerably increased” over the last year.
On our visit to the Cyrenians base, we found out why.
Homelessness on the rise in Aberdeen
The charity’s latest annual report revealed that there has been a “substantial” rise in the number of people finding themselves homeless.
In January 2023, they noted that there had been a 22% increase in families forced into temporary housing from the previous year.
It suggested that home for many in the city was “no longer a place of sanctuary and security but a source of anxiety, worry and uncertainty”.
What is the definition of homelessness?
For Aberdeen Cyrenians, someone is homeless if they don’t have access to stable, secure, safe and functional housing.
This can include those who sofa surf, have no legal right to live in a property, or if someone is faced with an “unsafe environment”.
People can also become homeless after losing their job, through violence or dealing with mental health struggles, substance abuse or the breakdown of a relationship.
When giving presentations at schools, Cyrenians staff ask pupils what they think is the most common reason for homelessness in the UK.
Donna, who is head of corporate and business services, revealed that they always get “quite a mix of answers”.
But youngsters are surprised to find out the main cause is due to family breakdowns, something that is an issue in the local LGBTIQA+ community.
So what does the local authority do about it?
Aberdeen City Council currently has a rapid rehousing programme to ensure that anyone seeking help can be given access to accommodation as soon as possible.
It has more than 350 flats across the city that are kept aside especially for homeless people.
The local authority set itself a target to build 385 affordable homes per year to help keep on top of the issue.
And latest figures from Shelter revealed that Aberdeen was on target, with 467 properties built between April to December 2022.
Why is there ‘a tale of two cities’ in Granite City?
But in Aberdeen there is “a tale of two cities” as it has many who live comfortably, while others struggle to make ends meet.
According to the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation, just about a third (33.2%) of Aberdeen residents live in the most deprived areas of Scotland, up from 28% in 2019.
And 48% of those living in social housing in the city are in fuel poverty.
On the other hand, 36.7% of Aberdeen residents live in the most affluent areas of the country and just 10% of property owners face fuel poverty.
But Donna warned that this “extreme” gap is a challenge and continues to widen.
Accessing cost-of-living support
Aberdeen Cyrenians regularly sees around 800 people a month through its food bank service.
It provided 244 Christmas and New Year meals over the recent festive period and distributed more than 8,000 food parcels in 2023.
The charity noticed there had been an increase in the number of families needing support last year, noting it was “new and not seen before”.
It believes this rise is due to the fact struggling families are having to access help for the first time and don’t know where to turn.
In-work poverty has also become a worrying issue.
The charity has given aid to those who have jobs but are finding it harder to pay for essentials including food and energy as well as rent or mortgages.
Donna revealed that the food they pack into parcels or use at the charity’s recently reopened community cafe is all donated by kind-hearted residents or firms.
Supermarkets Aldi and Asda regularly provide the charity with fresh fruit and vegetables, tinned goods and longer shelf life items such as pasta and rice.
They even supply cat and dog food to ensure four-legged family members are catered for.
Meanwhile, fresh bakery items are sent in by local businesses including The Bread Guy.
But Donna bluntly warned that the charity can’t satisfy the level of demand that’s coming through and admitted: “It’s not getting easier any time soon.”
‘We hope people reach out prior to crisis’
Aberdeen Cyrenians’ head of services, Jennifer McAughtrie, told us that more people are continually having to choose between eating or heating due to rising costs.
She said: “There is an increasing problem, especially with the amount of people that are going into temporary housing, and it’s the cost-of-living and the impact that’s having on everybody.
“The impact that has on your mental wellbeing, that social isolation and not being able to connect with people.
“Some people go to their maladaptive coping strategies, and that is not ideal.”
Jennifer added: “We just hope that people do reach out prior to crisis.”
Council keen to work in partnership with Aberdeen Cyrenians
My visit to the Summer Street base coincided with that of the council’s anti-poverty committee.
Councillors were given a presentation full of eye-opening figures that highlighted how much help the charity has provided in the city over the last year.
The committee was also given a tour around the base, and met some of the hard working volunteers who dedicate their spare time to helping those in need.
Convener of the committee, Christian Allard found the visit around the charity to be “humbling”.
Charity praised for pioneering work
Aberdeen Cyrenians was founded in 1968 by Aberdeen University students, starting out as a soup kitchen on Castlegate using unused items from the halls of residence.
One of its founders, Sandy Murray, still keeps in touch to hear how the charity is getting on.
But the charity has led the way for various schemes over the years.
For example, in the 1970s Aberdeen Cyrenians established the first homelessness day centre.
While in 1986 it set up the first wet hostel in the UK, a pioneering concept that has since been replicated across Europe.
The residential service provides support for those struggling with substance use and still operates today at Wernham House on Virginia Street.
Meanwhile, Aberdeen Cyrenians, working with Social Bite and CFINE, was the first food bank to offer a delivery service during the pandemic.
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