News

Rangers striker Kenny Miller today paid a visit to the Simon Community’s Glasgow Hub to meet with young people affected by homelessness.  He signed autographs, posed for pictures and took part in a question and answer session with people who use the service, as well as finding out more about the work of the Simon Community.

The Simon Community is one of the Foundation’s Community Partners for season 2016/17 and the Foundation donated over £17,000 recently to help fund a new project called Nightstop which targets 16 to 25 year olds who are in danger of sleeping rough.

Kenny commented, “It is great to be able do our bit to help the Foundation support some really worthwhile causes like the Simon Community.  The Big Sleep Outs are great events, I made it along to one and all credit to the fans who took part.”

The Nightstop project provides immediate support with 3 – 5 nights emergency accommodation in the home of an approved Nightstop volunteer. Nightstop volunteers also provide a young person with a warm welcome, evening meal, breakfast and someone trusted they can talk to.

Glasgow has the highest concentration of young people who are homeless in Scotland, with 1,051 young people presenting as homeless in 2015.  An average of 15 young people sleep rough every month in the city, which equates to 174 young people each year.

The Simon Community’s Hub provides a vital drop-in service for people who are sleeping rough or are at risk of becoming homeless.  They can stop by for help and advice and Simon Community staff will help them try to deal with the causes and effects of homelessness.

Each year the Simon Community supports over 2000 people who are dealing with homelessness or struggling to maintain a safe place to live.  The charity is also the only organisation in Glasgow with a Street Team, who work directly on the streets with homeless people.

Find out more about our project with the Simon Community.