Blue Triangle launches Christmas winter clothing appeal

The organisation said the appeal comes amid an “alarming” increase in homelessness in Scotland since 2017/18, surpassing pre-pandemic levels. This, it argued, has been driven by several causes, including a cost-of-living crisis that has pushed lower-income people into deep poverty and a difficult housing sector with rising prices.

Last year, 35% of those entering Blue Triangle services had been sleeping rough.

Jamie, a supported person at Blue Triangle’s Hamilton service, explained: “I’ve been out in the cold in winter before. For example, the night before I came into Blue Triangle’s Hamilton service, I spent a night in Calderglen Country Park in East Kilbride because I didn’t want to go into homelessness. But you guys have been brilliant, honestly.”

Watch Blue Triangle’s Christmas appeal film here

Many young people and adults arrive at Blue Triangle with only the clothes on their backs. The Christmas Winter Clothing Appeal aims to provide the people Blue Triangle supports with the essentials they need to keep warm this Christmas and beyond.

Around 41% of those who entered Blue Triangle services last year were under the age of 25. Amy is a young person who was supported by the charity’s Bank Street service in Kilmarnock. Thanks to the support from staff, Amy was successfully accepted into the University of Dundee to study art, and now is living independently.

Amy said: “A few weeks before officially moving on from Blue Triangle, I decided to do two murals. One of Bank Street in Kilmarnock, and the other showing the tree of life, quoting ‘turn over a new leaf’, as a thanks for the support during my stay, as I doubt I would be thriving at university right now without them.”

Read more of Amy’s story here.

Blue Triangle currently supports over 400 people every day through its services and outreach work. By providing safe, supportive, psychologically informed environments, Blue Triangle works with people at various stages of their support journey, offering the time and space to reset at a critical point in their lives. Staff are trauma-informed, available 24/7 and champion Blue Triangle’s supported people’s rights, helping them overcome barriers whenever they can.