Research shows that gambling harm is more prevalent among those experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness.

Recognising that the links between gambling harm and homelessness were not being considered in Scotland, Fast Forward and Simon Community Scotland decided to form a partnership to tackle this issue together.  Being leading harm reduction organisations in our respective fields in Scotland we each brought our own expertise to start raising awareness, educating and ultimately preventing harm to this community.

We started our journey with a short survey to find out if gambling harm had negatively impacted the people that Simon Community Scotland support.  We discovered that gambling harm was closely woven into many of the lives of those they supported and their loved ones, whether in the past or present.  Knowing that this was something we needed to address, we decided that we needed to focus on ensuring staff supporting those experiencing homelessness were given the tools and the information to be able to support, guide and signpost.

We were awarded funding from GambleAware to create a homelessness and gambling harm e-learning and toolkit for staff supporting those experiencing (or at risk of experiencing) homelessness, which included Scottish lived experience voices throughout.  Alongside this we created a training program that was jointly delivered to 60% of Simon Community Scotland staff which highlighted the signs of harm, how gambling intersects with homelessness, harm reduction techniques, how to ask the right questions and how to refer someone for treatment and support.

We held two in-person events with speakers from lived experience, research and organisations working in the field to raise awareness of the links between gambling harm and homelessness across interested sectors.  We also created a video that showcased a lived experience voice of gambling harm and homelessness which was first shown at one of these events.  The aim was to bring people together in Scotland to discuss this topic, understand the intersections and see where there might be opportunities to tackle the issue together.

Since the release of the toolkit and e-learning Fast Forward and Simon Community Scotland have been presenting at events to highlight our work, holding in person events with lived experience speakers to different Simon Community Scotland teams to highlight the resources and continuing the hard work to get other homelessness organisations to join us connecting gambling harm to their work.

Continuing on from this collaboration, Fast Forward has been partnering with a youth homelessness organisation, The Rock Trust, to understand the links between youth homelessness, gaming and gambling harm.  Staff will attend Fast Forward’s gambling Education training and a peer education resource will be created by a group of young people experiencing homelessness to highlight the links to support other young people.

A resource will also be made in partnership with Rock Trust staff to help those who support young people around gaming and gambling harm.

All of the resources are available for free for anyone to use and have strong living and lived experience voices throughout.

by Fran Howard

Programme Manager (Scottish Gambling Education Hub)