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Project Worker - Creating Safer Communities

Ultimately, Creating Safer Communities is not only transforming individual lives but reshaping how communities respond to homelessness and street based harm.

About Simon Community Scotland

Simon Community Scotland is the largest provider of homelessness services in Scotland. Our vision is for everyone to have a safe place to live, with access to the support they need. Every day we help make positive things happen for people facing extremely difficult circumstances. Everything we do is about and for people, the people we support, our staff, our partners and everyone affected by homelessness. Our values are built into every area of activity and tell the story of how people remain at the heart of Simon Community.

Day by day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We are here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take 'the next step' towards a positive future. We offer support across a range of service delivery points; Street Outreach teams, Housing First initiatives, Floating Support, Information Hubs, Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), Supported Accommodations, Emergency Accommodation, Rapid Access Accommodation, and our own rented properties. These services are delivered across many local authorities within Glasgow, North Lanarkshire, Edinburgh and Perth.

We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team. To make a difference, we need to work flexibly, with everyday leadership and a 'can-do' approach. We want to make it right and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other.

Our #OneTeam ethos is core to who we are, and it means caring for and supporting each other regardless of our role, service or location. Find out more about our services here.

Creating Safer Communities

Creating Safer Communities (CSC) is a community centred initiative launched in May 2024 to address the complex challenges associated with antisocial behaviour, street drinking, substance use, begging, and homelessness across Edinburgh. The project was developed in response to a clear gap in provision for people experiencing multiple disadvantages, people who are often excluded from traditional 9-5 building based services, and instead congregate in public spaces, where unmet health and social needs can manifest as harmful street based behaviours.

CSC takes a proactive, trauma-informed approach that prioritises early intervention, prevention, and long-term change, rather than relying solely on enforcement or crisis-led responses.

Ultimately, Creating Safer Communities is not only transforming individual lives but reshaping how communities respond to homelessness and street based harm. By focusing on empowerment, connection, and opportunity, CSC is helping to create a safer, healthier, and more inclusive city, a city where people are supported to move away from crisis and towards stability, and where public spaces are safer and more welcoming for everyone.

Job Purpose

CSC engages with over 3000 people a year who are often described as “hard to reach”, but more accurately are being let down by systems that don’t meet their specific needs. Through this work, CSC has supported people to secure accommodation, access employment and training opportunities, receive digital devices and skills support, engage with harm reduction services such as naloxone training, and connect with healthcare, food provision, and wider community resources. Beyond these practical outcomes, the project has played a critical role in restoring a sense of choice, purpose, and possibility while offering alternatives to street based lifestyles that many had previously felt were inescapable.

There is a strong emphasis on partnership working and collaboration with communities, local businesses and health services (including primary and secondary providers), housing and social care services across the city. Community connection recognises the importance of partnerships and seeks to create a community that extends to projects and strategies that complement each other.

Key outcomes will be to improve the health, wellbeing and opportunities for people affected by homelessness in order to prevent, reduce, and address high risk street activities that are harmful not only to the person, but the community as a whole. Another important aspect of this role will be using digital technology to improve access to health and wellbeing resources for people who are street focused, in order to prevent and address high risk street activities. This will involve creating and monitoring digital pathways to primary and secondary care, and demonstrating improvements that can be achieved.

CSC works very closely with other Simon Community Scotland projects, one of which is Streetreads. For people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, Streetreads has provided a lifeline. The library provides a safe and welcoming space for people experiencing extreme poverty and deprivation to access literature, resources, educational materials, and human connection. The aim of Streetreads is to empower and uplift people facing difficult situations by offering them an opportunity for personal growth, learning, and a sense of belonging.

Streetreads is the only physical library in the world that has been set up specifically to support people affected by homelessness. Since opening in 2020, the Library has gone from strength to strength. The space is now open 4 days a week and offers a diverse range of possibilities for people who are often excluded from cultural, artistic, and literary opportunities.

Together, Streetreads and CSC have become an important part of the support that Simon Community Scotland provides in Edinburgh. There is often a lot of overlap between the services, and the successful candidate will work both with the CSC team and the Streetreads team.

Key Responsibilities

Fully involve and include people actively involved in potentially harmful street behaviours in understanding the causes, the consequences (for them and the community), and help to create opportunities for change.
Run activity days and psychosocial groups with the support of CSC and Streetreads team.
Help with the mapping of services, resources, partnerships, and stakeholders that will create opportunities for people who are street focused, with a focus on high pressure areas of Tron/Hunter Square.
Work directly with Streetreads, We See You, Street Team, Digital Inclusion team, to ensure relevant development of psychosocial groups that meet the needs of this community.
Provide digital and emotional support to people that are street focused.
Put people are at the heart of what we do; co-production and codesign with supported people with lived and living experience.
Assist in assessing people’s immediate and long term needs, and the impact that the CSC project has on their situation.
Provide assertive outreaches to increase awareness and recruit people for the CSC project.
Provide outreach to local business, residents and groups to find creative solutions for city centre spaces.
Digital and in person cross-agency visits to build upon collaboration and partnerships.
Provide immediate individual holistic harm reduction support plans to people during the project.
Assist with recruitment and training of volunteers to support the outreach, in-reach relational model to support people who are street focused.
Help host regular in-person networking events to strengthen relationships.
Work creatively and innovatively with the Service Lead to create a network of support for supported people.
Any other duties directed by the Service Lead.

Our Values

Inclusion & Participation

We include everyone in the services and resources they need, regardless of their circumstances and ensure each person's voice and influence are heard and felt in everything that we do.

Personalised & Creative

Each person we support is an individual with unique circumstances, needs and future potential which requires a uniquely tailored response.

Warmth & Regard

We see beyond a person's current or past circumstances, recognising their inherent value, worth and potential as human beings.

Partnership & Collaboration

We know we need to work positively with others to deliver a truly inclusive and personalised approach, improve our response and add value to the experience of the people we support.

Supportive & Ambitious

We encourage and support ambition, building on strengths to foster hope for the people we support as well as deliver growth and development for staff and volunteers.

Core Competencies

Planning and Organising

Create and manage personalised support plans for people, prioritising tasks and managing resources effectively to help them achieve their goals.
Monitor progress against established goals and adjust support plans as needed to ensure the best possible outcomes.
Maintain accurate and detailed records of your contacts using our Netsuite platform throughout your shift.

Resilience

Advance despite adversity, responding to challenging and difficult situations with a calm, professional, and composed approach.
Handle sensitive decisions with compassion and due regard for others, maintaining a positive and proactive attitude.

Motivation

Act with care and compassion, demonstrating a clear commitment to the role and its importance in empowering individuals to live independently.
Bring hope through your words and actions, helping to build trust and change public perception of the causes of rough sleeping.

Problem Solving

Carefully analyse problems, breaking them down into parts to find practical, person-centred solutions.
Innovate and be creative to find solutions that are a perfect fit for someone, irrespective of their background of the problem they are facing.
When someone isn't at their best, quickly recognise that there may be an underlying issue and find ways to respond with care.

Teamwork

Work with colleagues in a supportive and collaborative way, fostering team togetherness and a positive, problem-solving vibe.
Be a reliable member of the team, participating actively in group meetings and sharing insights to improve our service continuously.
Foster positive relationships with our partners to ensure our support is coordinated and effective.

Communication & Digital Enablement

Communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including service users, partners, and other colleagues, adapting your communication style to be clear, empathetic, and respectful.
Encourage the participation and inclusion of the people you support by exploring choices and options with them in an accessible way.
Embrace and champion digital inclusion, helping clients, staff, and volunteers to connect, understand, and use digital tools safely. You will use our GSuite, Chromebook, and smartphone to facilitate this.
Play an active role in our social media strategy by helping to create blogs, videos, and posts to change society's misconceptions about homelessness.

Person Specification

Training & Qualification

Essential

Excellent command of and highly proficient in spoken and written English
Excellent communication and digital skills
Knowledge of Edinburgh services and stakeholders
SVQ3 or equivalent or working towards

Desirable

Evidence of building partnerships
Evidence in understanding of holistic harm reduction methodologies and practice

Experience

Essential

Experience setting up processes and procedures within the workplace
Building positive networks and connections
Experience of working in a fast-paced environment which requires quick decision making

Desirable

Experience in writing project plans and reports
Experience in data management tasks
Experience working in a team based in multiple locations
Experience of managing volunteers

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Good understanding of the impact of significant trauma and an awareness of a trauma-informed approach
Comfortable delivering events and group activities
Fully committed to Simon Community Scotland's Mission and Values
Able to approach your role and tasks with an empathetic and non-judgmental attitude
Ability to work with people in a way that takes into consideration their personal and cultural beliefs
Data collection, monitoring and evaluation

Desirable

Knowledge of promoting events and building an audience
Community engagement with stakeholders, businesses
Creating effective partnerships

Personal

Essential

Be a positive person who leads by example
Have a willingness to learn and adapt to each situation
Flexible, creative and innovative

Desirable

Good communication and people skills - internal and external
Excellent boundaries
Emotional resilience

Department: Staff
Locations: Edinburgh
Yearly salary: £26,474
Hours per week: 37.5
Closing date: 24 May, 2026
Contract Duration: 12 months fixed term

About Simon Community Scotland

Visit the Simon Community Scotland Website for more information.

Check out our Job Opportunities and Volunteer Opportunities.

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