As our heatwave summer draws to a rainy conclusion, an ever growing team of campaigners across the UK are working hard to make a positive impact through music.

Musicians Against Homelessness (MAH) was launched by music mogul Alan McGee in 2016, and both raises awareness of, and fundraises for, the homelessness crisis in the UK. The organisation is run by volunteers, and all profits from the events go towards supporting charities like Crisis and Simon Community Scotland.

On Saturday 29th September Glasgow’s iconic Barrowland Ballroom will host the UK’s biggest MAH concert of 2018. Supported by an incredible line up from the Scottish music scene including Scottish ska legends Bombskare, Mickey 9s, rapper-come-Orwell Prize winning author Darren ‘Loki’ McGarvey and Becci Wallace, The Hollows, Jackal Trades, Dead Man Fall, Steg G and The Freestyle Master and Colonel Mustard & The Dijon 5’s Mark ‘DJ5’ Lang.

Chief Executive of Crisis, Jon Sparkes, said: “I am delighted that Musicians Against Homelessness will be supporting Crisis again this year with what promises to be an even bigger and better programme of gigs and events in the autumn. Homelessness remains an unsolved problem across the UK so their help and support, in what will be our 50th year, is much needed and greatly appreciated.”

Tickets are £10 + booking fee and available in person from Tickets Scotland and online from Skiddle (website link).

MAH Glasgow Facebook event available here.


Who are Musicians Against Homelessness?

Musicians Against Homelessness encourages event promoters, venues and recording artists in every city, town and village in the UK to organise events unified under the shared goal of tackling homelessness. Since 2016, over 1,000 bands have played almost 250 gigs for the movement and earlier this year, MAH formed partnerships with Foodies Festival and the Celeb Soccer Six football tournament to expand their impact.

The grass-roots movement has successfully raised over £100,000 to date, and will support two whole months’ of fundraising gigs across the UK throughout September and October this year. The movement has been grabbing the attention of hundreds of bands, musicians and  celebrities including Liam Gallagher, Shaun Ryder, Russel Brand and Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh.

Earlier this year alt-rock legends, James, recorded a new version of their 1989 hit ‘Sit Down’ with a string quartet at the Albert Hall in Manchester, complete with a new music video, to bring attention to the cause.

James frontman Tim Booth said, “Sit down is a song about empathy so we are really honoured and happy that this beautiful version … is being used to raise money for the homeless. We seem to be living in times of increasing inequality where all the safety nets that my generation took for granted have been taken away.”


Find a gig near you!

The Musicians Against Homelessness campaign supports hundreds of concerts across the UK. Visit www.facebook.com/mahgigs to find a gig near you!

Hamish Allan Centre shut down on 4th September 2018

Monday - Friday, 4:45 - 11pm:
- Homelessness service runs at the Glasgow City Mission, 20 Crimea Street, G2 8PW or call 0141 221 2630
- Asylum seekers and refugees can now go tao 44 South Portland Street, G5 9JJ or call 0141 222 7352
- If you have a child/children, call 0141 553 2803

After 11pm, and at weekends:
- Everyone should call 0800 838 502

The Hamish Allan Centre in Glasgow shut its doors for good on 4th September 2018, marking the end of nearly 30 years of service provision at the iconic, category B listed building.

Formerly the Centre Street Fire Station, the Hamish Allan Centre opened in late 1989 to provide temporary emergency accommodation and out-of-hours advice for single men and women with no dependent children who were experiencing homelessness. Located just south of the River Clyde in Tradeston, it was one of a number of homelessness services in the area.

As part of wider plans to develop Glasgow City Council’s homelessness service provision, in December 2017 the Hamish Allan Centre’s weekday out-of-hours service was moved to the Glasgow City Mission, located in the city centre.

The City Ambition Network, a partnership between Glasgow City Council and a group of homelessness charities, aims to open a new Hub in the city centre. The Hub will incorporate a range of services offered by the charity partnership into one central location, hoping to reduce the amount of travel and service-hopping that homeless people currently need to navigate. The new Hub will potentially be opening in early 2019, but a confirmed venue has not yet been made public.

In the meantime, Glasgow City Council have released the following information with regards to changes to the Out-of-Hours service.


Out-of-Hours Service

Between 5pm and 11pm on Monday to Friday, single men and woman experiencing homelessness can still visit the Glasgow City Mission at 20 Crimea Street, G2 8PW. If you need help after 11pm, call the usual out-of-hours number on 0800 838 502.


Weekend Service

As of 4th September 2018, the weekend service will no longer operate from the Hamish Allan Centre. This service has not yet been relocated to a physical location, so if you need help at the weekend, you must phone the out-of-hours service on 0800 838 502.


Asylum Seekers & Refugees

Between 5pm and 11pm on Monday to Friday, asylum seekers and refugees can now visit 44 South Portland Street, G5 9JJ or call 0141 222 7352. The new venue on South Portland Street is very close to Bridge Street Subway Station, and is only a 6 minute walk from the old Hamish Allan Centre location.

If you need help after 11pm, call the usual out-of-hours number on 0800 838 502.


Daytime Service

The Homeless Health & Resource Service continues to operate from its Hunter Street address in the East End of Glasgow. If you need advice during the day on a weekday, you can still call Hunter Street on 0141 553 2803, or visit them at 55 Hunter Street, G4 0UP.

Our Action Day proposal looks set to change the ways homeless services talk about suicide.

Following the Pavement’s special issue on suicide, written by a team of writers on the 2018 From The Ground Up (FTGU) project run by the Pavement and Groundswell, a Suicide Action Day was held in March at Groundswell.

Findings were presented about the suicide epidemic affecting those experiencing homelessness. After listening to a special FTGU podcast, there were also workshops run by Homeless Link and the Listening Place designed for homeless and mental health service workers to encourage discussion about suicide and homelessness. Insights were gathered from three focus groups looking at ways to communicate suicide in homeless services. These found:

• Suicide is still a taboo subject in homeless services
• Staff are ill-equipped to respond to and communicate suicide
• Marking a death encourages understanding and offers opportunities for grief.

Participants also discussed how knowing what to do, or how to respond, can be difficult after the death of a resident, so training helps staff to prepare. In the event of a suicide, having clear procedures to follow may also provide comfort and assistance to staff and residents who may be in shock.

Following up the Action Day, Groundswell developed guidance materials with the help of suicide prevention service, the Listening Place. The new leaflet, due out in August, is called Talking About Suicide: a guide for frontline staff. It aims to give staff working in homelessness services some guidance on how best to engage people who have suicidal thoughts and feelings.

• www.groundswell.org.uk