{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,4]],"date-time":"2026-05-04T11:04:15Z","timestamp":1777892655152,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":30,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","issue":"1_suppl","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]],"date-time":"2021-12-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1638316800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Journal of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2021,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>COVID-19 struck when, despite plans to support the homeless population in Scotland, sustainable arrangements seemed beyond reach without a change of mindset by all providing support.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Four case studies describe the experience of individuals who received support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Late in 2020 support workers selected individuals whose support would have been different without the pandemic; sought their permission; and collected information from case notes and those engaged. Two other case studies describe new models addressing homelessness in response to the pandemic. During December 2020 the author interviewed managers who had contributed to the design and delivery of those models, and accessed data collected for other purposes. These six studies are tested against the five core principles of the Plan to End Homelessness, the basis of current homelessness policy in Scotland.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>COVID-19 stimulated new forms of support for Edinburgh's homeless people, and a new culture of working together to solve urgent problems in ways that are person-centred and relationship-based.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Tackling homelessness in these ways highlighted resistant structural problems, notably how to ensure sufficient affordable housing. Plans to prevent homelessness must address such problems.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This new approach marks a cultural change in multi-agency services support for homeless people. The challenge is to sustain these improvements, and learn lessons for the future.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4997\/jrcpe.2021.242","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,29]],"date-time":"2021-06-29T11:13:02Z","timestamp":1624965182000},"page":"53-62","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Covid-19: Opportunity to Improve Crisis Responses to Homelessness?"],"prefix":"10.1177","volume":"51","author":[{"given":"Ewan","family":"Aitken","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Chief Executive, Cyrenians"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,12,1]]},"reference":[{"key":"bibr1-jrcpe.2021.242","unstructured":"Scottish Government: Homeless and Rough Sleeping Action Group. Tackling homelessness following coronavirus [Internet]. Edinburgh: Scottish Government; 14 July 2020 [Accessed 11 February 2021]. Available from: https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/homelessness-and-rough-sleeping-action-group-final-report-tackling-coronavirus\/"},{"key":"bibr2-jrcpe.2021.242","unstructured":"Scottish Government. Ending homelessness together: updated action plan \u2013 October 2020 [Internet]. Edinburgh: Scottish Government; 8 October 2020 [Accessed 11 February 2021]. Available from: https:\/\/www.gov.scot\/publications\/ending-homelessness-together-updated-action-plan-october-2020\/"},{"key":"bibr3-jrcpe.2021.242","unstructured":"Hetherington K, Hamlet N. Restoring the Public Health response to Homelessness in Scotland [Internet] Glasgow: ScotPHN; 2015 [Accessed 26 February 2021]. Available from https:\/\/www.scotphn.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/Restoring-the-Public-Health-response-to-Homelessness-in-Scotland-May-2015.pdf. And Fitzpatrick S, Bramley G, Wood J et al. Hard Edges Scotland [Internet]. Edinburgh: Lankelly Chase, I-SHPERE, Robertson Trust Herriot Watt University; 2018 [Accessed 26 February 2021]. Available from: https:\/\/lankellychase.org.uk\/resources\/publications\/hard-edges-scotland\/"},{"key":"bibr4-jrcpe.2021.242","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/02673037.2017.1344957"},{"key":"bibr5-jrcpe.2021.242","unstructured":"Bramley G, Fitzpatrick S, Edwards J. Hard Edges: Mapping Severe and Multiple Disadvantage in England [Internet]. London: Lankelly Chase Foundation; 2015 [Accessed 11 February 2021]. Available from: https:\/\/lankellychase.org.uk\/resources\/publications\/hard-edges\/"},{"key":"bibr6-jrcpe.2021.242","unstructured":"Edinburgh Poverty Commission. A Just Capital: Actions to End Poverty in Edinburgh [Internet]. Edinburgh: City of Edinburgh Council; 2020 [Accessed 26 February 2021]. 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