About us
At Rowan Alba, we provide long-term supported accommodation and community outreach to those affected by homelessness, addiction, and social isolation.
A history of compassion and support
Founded in 1997, we believe in Accepting, Supporting, and Including people as they are, offering security, dignity, and choice. Our pioneering approach, starting with Thorntree Street, ensures stability for those with complex needs.
A sustainable, growing organisation
We’ve since expanded across Edinburgh, opening new services like Birkentree House and Thorntree Mill. Through compassionate, person-centred care, we help people rebuild their lives, reducing the cycle of homelessness. Whether through accommodation or volunteer-led community support, we are committed to creating lasting change.
Our history
Rowan Alba was founded in 1997 by Helen Carlin, our former CEO, with the launch of our first service, a precursor to our current community and volunteer service. This initiative provided at-home support for people struggling to maintain their tenancy, or home due to challenges with alcohol.
Following its success, Helen sought to support those who were experiencing long-term and repeat homelessness by offering them a safe and secure home. This led to the opening of our first supported accommodation service for women, Stramullion, in 2003. The following year, we launched Thorntree Street in Leith, our first settled supported living service for nine men over 50.
Thorntree Street has been a pioneering model in how the symptoms of homelessness can be addressed. We offer a stable home and accept our residents without conditions, supporting them through every stage of their journey. Our approach is flexible, adapting to their changing needs, priorities, and aspirations as they build their lives with us. After the success of this model we opened Thorntree Mill in 2022.
Life at Rowan Alba
Gallery of images from around our services
A new era for Rowan Alba
In March 2023, Helen retired and passed the reins of Rowan Alba to our current CEO, Karen Barr. Karen has built upon Rowan Alba’s strong foundations, expanding our presence across Edinburgh. In summer 2024, we opened Birkentree House, our settled accommodation for women, and took on a further three services, Broomhouse, Pilton, and Fusion. These additions have allowed us to support even more people in supported accommodation, helping to break the cycle of homelessness and provide lasting stability.
A celebration at The Scottish Parliament
We held a gathering to recognise the opening of our new women’s centre, Birkentree House
Growing strong community roots
In 2010, Rowan Alba returned to its roots with the launch of our volunteer-led community service. CARDS, originally called Community Alcohol-Related Damage Service, once again embedding us within the Edinburgh community. This service provides community and volunteer support to individuals in their own homes who may be struggling with alcohol, mental health challenges, or social isolation. In October 2024 we changed the name of CARDS to Community And Residential Dependency Support. This was in line with the development of CARDS into a peer-led service which increasingly provides a bridge from addiction to a stable way of life for former CARDS clients.
Our vision
Our vision is to prevent and end homelessness, in a compassionate, human way, without judgement.
Our services
The rowan tree is associated in Scottish folklore with protection for travellers. Our logo signifies the protection and support we offer those on the verge of homelessness either within our Edinburgh community, or those with us in our accommodation services.
How our services come together
Our services fall into 2 areas, Accommodation and Community. Settled Accommodation, where tenants have residency rights, is provided by our Thorntree Street, Thorntree Mill and Birkentree House services. These services give a combined 35 people a safe, stable way of life away from the streets. Specialist temporary accommodation is delivered by Stramullion, Broomhouse, Fusion and Pilton. These services support a combined 54 vulnerable homeless people to transition to a new way of life with greater stability.
Rowan Alba is rooted in the communities that surround our services. This is reflected in our Community And Residential Dependency Support (CARDS) service. This innovative service pairs clients with a volunteer on a one-to-one basis. Using this relationship isolated people with dependency issues can open doors to new connections and community activities.
Our ethos
Everything we do is built on three core values: Accept, Support, and Include.
Accept
We Accept people as they are. There are no barriers to access, we do not impose criteria or conditions. At the heart of our approach is the fundamental belief that every individual has the right to make choices about their own life.
Support
We Support people as they are, whether they are ready to move towards greater independence, feel more secure in the supported living we provide, or support them in their own homes to rebuild confidence, feel empowered, and take control of their agency.
Include
We Include people as they are, wherever they are on their journey. We strive to ensure that all those who have faced, or been affected by, homelessness are included in our community. Security of tenure, safety, choice, dignity, and respect form the bedrock of Rowan Alba’s approach.