Established 2005 Registered Charity No. 1110656
Scottish Charity Register No. SC043760
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Latest figures show that 13,000 homes were repossessed last year. A hotel proprietor in Edinburgh wanted to do his bit to ease the crisis, and ended up with a fight on his hands
In the throes of the most serious economic downturn in history, the only way is down: financial experts say the worst is yet to come, and seemingly the entire world is now praying that jobs will be safe and that they have enough money to pay rents or mortgages at the end of the month. Meanwhile, the government could be accused of being more concerned about helping the financial system than for the people who voted for them.
However, Maxx Preston, owner of the Hotel Ceilidh-Donia in Edinburgh, took the plunge two months ago and applied for a licence to provide temporary accommodation for homeless people. The Pavement caught up with him at his premises.
"This is a business," he tells us, "but I also know that I can help people in the middle of the chaos we are experiencing just now." His neighbours, however, took exception to his plans and he is still awaiting Edinburgh Council's confirmation of the HMO licence application. "Simply, winter was coming and we had empty rooms. So we asked the council if they needed rooms for newly homeless families. We are people who are running a successful business, but thought we could help - for a short time - some unfortunate people who had just lost their homes.
"As we have been a guest house or hotel for 25 years, we felt we had all the expertise necessary. Ethnic minorities and religions and the disabled have laws to stop society treating them differently so, why should homeless people carry a stigma?"
Neighbours, however, were up in arms as soon as the plans became public, worried that the sudden arrival of up to 30 short-term residents would have a negative impact on the street. While an existing, long-term home for vulnerable adults had caused no problems, they had concerns about the impact of temporary homeless people on the street's 30-35 adults and young children. One resident expressed fear that the character of the locale would change completely, as no one would know who their neighbours were anymore.
Undeterred, Maxx explains: "As we have a hotel, we always think of our neighbours' and our streets' needs equally with our own business needs. I can understand the concerns but to me it seems like there's a bit of the NIMBY about this whole thing. And people always assume that homelessness is about drugs, alcohol and crime. No one gets excited about Day Break House next door, which houses men who can't cope on their own. We were advised by the Council's housing officer that they would try and treat the area as ‚Äö?Ñ??sensitive' and house their ‚Äö?Ñ??less chaotic' clients there, but then I suppose trying and achieving are two very different things."
"It was us who asked the Council to tell our neighbours of our plans, and within hours they had action groups and committees set up to stop us. The only neighbours who came to our door asked if we were still staying here with the homeless. When we said yes, then they said, ‚Äö?Ñ??OK, we know you will run it properly'. The others were probably worried about their house prices dropping."
Added to this, Maxx tells us that a council employee who works in the Homeless Unit has told them that even if they get approval, that his department won't use them. Maxx expresses frustration at this. "It seems that the issues of homeless people issues are not important to the department that is supposed to look after them. We don't have to fit out an area specially for the homeless, it's the usual straightforward rules: clean rooms when necessary; no friends or family in the rooms, and so on. It seems unfair because what people need at this most traumatic time of their lives is support. That was one of the reasons we thought it would be good for families to stay here, as we are not a band B, we are a hotel, and we can provide meals all day. And while we thought about the possibility of losing some customers if they knew we were providing accommodation to homeless people, we only wanted to help families made newly homeless, and thought we could mix and match with our regulars."
"I find it disappointing that people don't seem to care about others' problems."
December 2024 – January 2025 : Solidarity
CONTENTS
BACK ISSUES
- Issue 153 : December 2024 – January 2025 : Solidarity
- Issue 152 : October – November 2024 : Change
- Issue 151 : August – September 2024 : Being Heard
- Issue 150 : June – July 2024 : Reflections
- Issue 149 : April – May 2024 : Compassion
- Issue 148 : February – March 2024 : The little things
- Issue 147 : December 2023 – January 2024 : Next steps
- Issue 146 : October 2023 – November 2023 : Kind acts
- Issue 145 : August 2023 – September 2023 : Mental health
- Issue 144 : June 2023 – July 2023 : Community
- Issue 143 : April 2023 - May 2023 : Hope springs
- Issue 142 : February 2023 - March 2023 : New Beginnings
- Issue 141 : December 2022 - January 2023 : Winter Homeless
- Issue 140 : October - November 2022 : Resolve
- Issue 139 : August - September 2022 : Creativity
- Issue 138 : June - July 2022 : Practical advice
- Issue 137 : April - May 2022 : Connection
- Issue 136 : February - March 2022 : RESPECT
- Issue 135 : Dec 2021 - Jan 2022 : OPPORTUNITY
- Issue 134 : September-October 2021 : Losses and gains
- Issue 133 : July-August 2021 : Know Your Rights
- Issue 132 : May-June 2021 : Access to Healthcare
- Issue 131 : Mar-Apr 2021 : SOLUTIONS
- Issue 130 : Jan-Feb 2021 : CHANGE
- Issue 129 : Nov-Dec 2020 : UNBELIEVABLE
- Issue 128 : Sep-Oct 2020 : COPING
- Issue 127 : Jul-Aug 2020 : HOPE
- Issue 126 : Health & Wellbeing in a Crisis
- Issue 125 : Mar-Apr 2020 : MOVING ON
- Issue 124 : Jan-Feb 2020 : STREET FOOD
- Issue 123 : Nov-Dec 2019 : HOSTELS
- Issue 122 : Sep 2019 : DEATH ON THE STREETS
- Issue 121 : July-Aug 2019 : INVISIBLE YOUTH
- Issue 120 : May-June 2019 : RECOVERY
- Issue 119 : Mar-Apr 2019 : WELLBEING
- Issue 118 : Jan-Feb 2019 : WORKING HOMELESS
- Issue 117 : Nov-Dec 2018 : HER STORY
- Issue 116 : Sept-Oct 2018 : TOILET TALK
- Issue 115 : July-Aug 2018 : HIDDEN HOMELESS
- Issue 114 : May-Jun 2018 : REBUILD YOUR LIFE
- Issue 113 : Mar–Apr 2018 : REMEMBRANCE
- Issue 112 : Jan-Feb 2018
- Issue 111 : Nov-Dec 2017
- Issue 110 : Sept-Oct 2017
- Issue 109 : July-Aug 2017
- Issue 108 : Apr-May 2017
- Issue 107 : Feb-Mar 2017
- Issue 106 : Dec 2016 - Jan 2017
- Issue 105 : Oct-Nov 2016
- Issue 104 : Aug-Sept 2016
- Issue 103 : May-June 2016
- Issue 102 : Mar-Apr 2016
- Issue 101 : Jan-Feb 2016
- Issue 100 : Nov-Dec 2015
- Issue 99 : Sept-Oct 2015
- Issue 98 : July-Aug 2015
- Issue 97 : May-Jun 2015
- Issue 96 : April 2015 [Mini Issue]
- Issue 95 : March 2015
- Issue 94 : February 2015
- Issue 93 : December 2014
- Issue 92 : November 2014
- Issue 91 : October 2014
- Issue 90 : September 2014
- Issue 89 : July 2014
- Issue 88 : June 2014
- Issue 87 : May 2014
- Issue 86 : April 2014
- Issue 85 : March 2014
- Issue 84 : February 2014
- Issue 83 : December 2013
- Issue 82 : November 2013
- Issue 81 : October 2013
- Issue 80 : September 2013
- Issue 79 : June 2013
- Issue 78 : 78
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- Issue 2 : 02
- Issue 1 : 01
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- Issue 8 : 08
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- Issue 26 : 26
- Issue 27 : 27
- Issue 28 : 28
- Issue 1 : 01