Aberdeen Cyrenians was delighted to welcome Cabinet Secretary for Housing, Màiri McAllan, to our Summer Street facility.
The visit offered a valuable opportunity to showcase the essential work our team delivers across the region, supporting people who are experiencing, or are at risk of, homelessness.
During her time with us, the Cabinet Secretary met with frontline staff and a service user, gaining direct insight into the challenges faced by people in our community and the transformative impact of early intervention and holistic support.
Following the tour, a roundtable discussion brought together local stakeholders involved in the Aberdeen Task & Activation Partnership (ATAP), a Scottish Government funded initiative supported through the Upstream Homelessness Prevention Fund and administrated by the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA). This provided an opportunity to demonstrate the impact the ATAP project has made date to date in strengthening local systems and improving outcomes for people at risk of homelessness.
The discussion also focused on the ‘Ask and Act’ duty within the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will require public bodies to proactively ask about a person’s housing situation and take early action to prevent homelessness.
The visit highlighted the power of collaboration and constructive dialogue, showing how organisations and public bodies across the North East are working together to strengthen homelessness prevention and improve outcomes for those most in need.