Thorntree Mill in the Peffermill area of Edinburgh is an innovative project which cares for young men who have been long-term homeless, and who have complex needs due to the traumas they have experienced. We provide them with settled and supported accommodation, with staff on hand 24/7. In most cases this is the most settled these men have been for a very long time. Thorntree Mill captures the essence of a model of supported living first demonstrated through our older men’s service at Thorntree Street in Leith, where older men have lived longer and safer after many years of street living. In addition to Thorntree Mill and Thorntree Street our portfolio of services for vulnerable homeless people also included our Stramullion, in West Pilton, a Supported Temporary Accommodation service for women.

Since joining Rowan Alba, the need for of a stable and settled women’s service was clear. This met with the opening of Birken Tree House in September 2024. Birken Tree House is a 14 bed unit providing safety and security for women who have been homeless, usually due to violence and aggression towards them over a sustained period of time, resulting in complex health matters and mental health issues. At Birken Tree House, we support women and provide them with a safe place and space to heal and feel secure.

Around the same time as we opened Birken Tree House we were awarded three new contracts for supported services in temporary accommodation, following a competitive tendering process. Fusion for young people in Pilton, Broomhouse for adults and our men only service in Pilton transferred to Rowan Alba in September 2024. These services enhance our portfolio of supported temporary accommodation, joining Stramullion, to secure Rowan Alba as a viable and highly regarded support to homelessness in the city. Our Settled Accommodation service is the ideal step from temporary to a more settled and secure environment for those who need it.

We are proud to be a partner in a unique and groundbreaking Psychology Service, where our tenants can get access to critical psychological support and where our staff can gain first- hand experience and skills which will be the outcome of this three-year project.

Over the last two years, we have reviewed our practices and support functions and we continue to stabilise our much bigger business so we can be sure of providing an exemplar service to some of the most marginalised and vulnerable homeless individuals and we will continue to ensure we work alongside our funders, partners and stakeholders to eradicate homelessness.

Looking forward, we will develop our website to capture our growing family, our highly valued services, our connections and our communities. We will adopt our new branding and foundations upon which we operate and we will work together through our connected roots and branches, and will enhance the lives of the people who need us most.

We will develop our Community and Volunteering Service, connecting our tenants, service users and volunteers to our communities and developing our volunteer service, Community And Residential Dependency Support (CARDS) to work across all our services and all our communities through partnerships with Lothian NHS, Arts & Galleries, Hospitals and funders. We aim to provide a holistic service where we can create links across services and do more outreach from a bedrock of experience and success.

Rowan Alba has grown considerably in size recently, helping more people experience an environment full of care and support, where we aim to provide targeted and trauma-informed services to allow them to heal and prosper. We aim to use our voice to help the cause of homelessness and eradicate the lack of options for those who need the most support. I am very proud of my Rowan Alba family!