In Your Shoes - Bryan Smith

Transform Community Development has worked in Dundee since it’s inception as Dundee Cyrenians in 1971. 

The core of our work is supporting those who are homeless or threatened with homelessness, and the ambition is to ultimately close our services having “solved” homelessness within the city.  We currently have three main strands of work, but they all meet the organisational objectives.

We deliver housing support through an innovative housing first programme, which offers unconditional, permanent housing as quickly as possible to approximately 100 people who are homeless or threatened by homelessness, and other intensive supportive services afterward.  This turns the traditional approach of tackling homelessness on its head. 

We also deliver temporary supported accommodation at our property 22 bedded unit at Brewery Lane.

In addition to this, we are FareShare UK’s Tayside & Fife delivery partner, supporting over 150 local charities with surplus produce from the food industry. The food we redistribute is nutritious and good to eat. It reaches charities including school breakfast clubs, older people’s lunch clubs, homeless shelters, and community cafes. This gives those using out other services the opportunity to volunteer and gain soft employability and relational skills.

Finally, we work with partners through our Transform Furniture to ensure that previously used furniture can be re-used by those exiting homelessness or on low incomes.  This is supported by a retail unit, at the foot of the Hilltown.

We currently employ 39 staff members and work with around 40 individuals volunteering with us on a weekly basis.

Monday: Transform Furniture

Gives me a chance to catch up with what’s going on in each division. We have our monthly Operations Meeting which gives the SMT the opportunity to strategise and look at operational challenges within the organisation and how we react to them.  These could be staffing issues or could be issues related to funding bids.  The SMT has a wealthy of talent and experience which allows us to make decisions based on a variety of perspectives.

Tuesday: Everyone Home Collective manifesto launch

It’s off to Stirling, to meet with national colleagues within the homeless sector at a Everyone Home Collective’s manifesto event.  With the Scottish Parliamentary Elections upcoming, the sector is developing a manifesto to ensure that housing, homelessness and prevention are at the heart of the campaign. 

Wednesday: Bryan Smith & Charlotte Hill OBE (CEO Felix)

FareShare UK is merging with The Felix Project (another surplus food) charity based in London. This morning is taken up with a regular merger meeting, discussing the benefits and challenges the merger will bring.  It will bring a stronger fund-raising profile and stronger connections with the food industry.  Only 1% of all surplus food in currently redistributed in the UK and this new partnerships’ challenge is to raise that to the 6% seen in other comparable countries.  Branding is a challenge as we see FareShare become The Felix Project over the coming year, it’s a well loved and admired brand, which we have worked hard to build, we need to replicate this with The Felix Project.  The evening takes us to The Scottish Parliament for a reception celebrating the merger and the previous 26 years of FareShare.

Thursday: ThatsTV Tayside

The end of the week is rattling in, and we are visited by That’s TV Tayside for a piece on the previous night’s event.  The next part of the day is taken up with responding to emails and catching up with staff members and participants who are in visiting the Housing First Team. I realise that the deadline from our insurers has crept up on me and I spend the latter part of the afternoon, gather renewal information.  Not the most exciting part of the job, but obviously vital.

Friday: FEANSTA Event, Lyon France

We are just beginning a project to expand the office space we have; as we’ve moved from hostel to tenancy-based accommodation, the Housing First Team has growth.  We meet with the design team and builders at a per-start meeting. Our Board of Directors have a wide range of skills, and I’m joined by one, who’s a practising architect, to support myself and the wider organisation. I book some flights for the forthcoming FEANSTA (European Federation of National Organisations Working with the Homeless Congress) in May, which will be held in Warsaw, I’ve got a great deal on flights but I’ve also got a convoluted schedule! Being Friday, I manage to squeeze in a lunch date with my wife, before to returning to tie up the loose ends before an equally business weekend!