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Shelter Advice Surgeries
SHELTER Scotland's advice surgeries in the Newtoft
Street offices of the South Edinburgh Partnership are not just for those
already facing the trauma of homelessness.
The South Edinburgh advice surgery, which take place
every second Friday forms part of Shelter's plans to prevent
homelessness wherever possible.
Clark Dickson, one of the Advice Workers at the South
Edinburgh surgery explains: 'I think some people believe that Shelter
can only help if they are already homeless but that's not true. We are
here for any housing problem.
"Sometimes it's a simple problem that can be
sorted out with a phone call or a letter, but sometimes it can be a bit
more complicated. The more time Shelter has, the more work we can do to
help people stay in their homes."
Shelter Scotland has been working with homeless and
poorly-housed people in Edinburgh for over 25 years. During that time,
it has offered advice and support to thousands of people facing
homelessness, eviction or those struggling to cope with rent or mortgage
arrears.
In the last two years alone, over 2,200 different
enquiries have been received by staff at Shelter's Edinburgh Housing Aid
Centre. Of these requests for help, almost two-thirds were from people
facing the nightmare of homelessness.
Shelter's specially-trained staff were able to prevent
homelessness in 482 cases and helped find permanent homes for another
357 of its clients. Over 700 people also received advice and information
on getting the right amount of housing benefit, or how to manage rent
arrears.
"Very often the people we see haven't known that
Shelter can provide advice on different housing problems," says
Clark. 'We are here to help on things like getting a repair done to your
home, or making sure you are getting the help you need to pay your rent
or mortgage. Although our priority is to help people facing
homelessness, we believe that everyone has the right to enjoy a warm,
dry home that they feel safe and comfortable in.'
Unfortunately, some cases are too complex to be sorted
out straight away and Shelter has developed the Scottish Housing Law
Service to help challenge cases of bad practice through the courts or
the Local Government Ombudsman. Shelter also runs projects for families
who are already homeless or living in temporary accommodation, to help
them through the difficult times with practical or emotional support
until they finally secure a home of their own.
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