Campaign to create awareness of homeless life issues

SCOTLAND’S largest social care charity will today launch a campaign aimed at creating awareness of the quality of life issues faced by young Scottish homeless people.

Quarriers will introduce the Condemned campaign at its annual Q2 “for young people by young people” conference at Hampden Park in Glasgow.

It will call on the Scottish Government to make immediate changes to a housing and benefits system which it says forces thousands of young people to live in accommodation of “an unacceptably poor standard”.
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Young people supported by Quarriers Youth Housing Support Projects will be using social media sites to encourage youth across Scotland to get involved in the campaign.

A short documentary will also be screened in which young people supported by the charity talk about their experiences with homelessness.

Dr Phil Robinson, chief executive of Quarriers, said: “Young homeless people are penalised by a hugely complex benefits system which fails to offer adequate support for those who work and can find jobs.

“Quarriers would like to see changes – by both the Scottish and UK governments – which would have a huge impact on the lives of thousands of young people.”

David Duke, the coach of the Scottish Homeless World Cup team and a former resident in Quarriers’ youth housing project, said: “It is bad enough being homeless without being faced by a benefits system which stacks the odds against you.

“We must stop condemning young homeless people to a life of misery.”