About Simon Community Scotland

Simon Community Scotland is the largest provider of homelessness services in Scotland. Our vision is for everyone to have a safe place to live, with access to the support they need. Every day we help make positive things happen for people facing extremely difficult circumstances.

Everything we do is about and for people, the people we support, our staff, our partners and everyone affected by homelessness. Our values are built into every area of activity and tell the story of how people remain at the heart of the Simon Community.

Day by day, person-to-person, we tailor what we offer to what people need. We are here to provide consistent, friendly and informed support so that people can explore options and take ‘the next step’ towards a positive future.

We offer support across a range of service delivery points: Street Outreach teams, Housing First initiatives, Floating Support, Information Hubs, Managed Alcohol Program (MAP), Supported Accommodations, Emergency Accommodation, Rapid Access Accommodation, and our own rented properties. These services are delivered across many local authorities within Glasgow, Edinburgh, North Lanarkshire and Perth.

We welcome people with a wide range of skills and experiences to our team. To make a difference, we need to work flexibly, with everyday leadership and a ‘can-do’ approach. We want to make it right and make it happen – not only for the people we support, but also for each other.

Our #OneTeam ethos is core to who we are, it means caring for and supporting each other regardless of our role, service or location. Find out more about our services here. https://www.simonscotland.org/get-help/our-support-services/

Job Purpose

We recognise the challenges people with complex lives and challenges face in engaging with mental health services. These challenges are both systemic and borne from the individuals unpredictable and needs led lives. Despite having significant mental health and mental illness the ability to seek and receive treatment can be challenging.

We are looking for opportunities that can rethink what good accessible and meaningful mental health interventions can look like for people in our services.

Taking a co-production approach to identifying interventions that can be delivered in a social care environment and designed to be useful in real life conditions of homelessness, trauma, substance use and stigma. The postholder will explore international best practices and innovative external models and seek to support our frontline teams to facilitate a responsive and trauma-informed support system that meets people where they are, rather than where a service dictates they should be.

Job Summary

The role will provide leadership in developing and delivering an ambitious programme of integrated mental health recovery and suicide prevention interventions across SCS homelessness services. The role focuses on building "mental health recovery capital" and resilience through co-production with people who have lived experience of homelessness and multiple disadvantages. The lead will establish a national network of champions, translate evidence into practical resources, and collaborate with national partners.

Key Responsibilities

Inclusion and Participation

Leads a robust co-production approach, ensuring all resources and interventions are designed with and for the people we support.
Establishes and nurtures a "Champions Network" of staff and residents to tackle stigma and surface real-world solutions.
Promotes a high-tolerance, psychologically safe framework that prioritises the voices of those often disenfranchised by stigma.

Supportive & Ambitious

Directly leads the design and testing of new trauma-informed interventions and community-led learning resources.
Manages the project budget to ensure maximum impact and momentum.
Navigates and simplifies complex systems to ensure people leave homelessness better equipped to manage their mental health and provide support to others in their community

Warmth & Regard

Models a compassionate, relationship-based support style that recognises the unique, long-term trust built in residential environments.
Values lived and living experience as the primary driver for service improvement and system change.

Partnership & Collaboration

Establish partnership working between national entities, including Suicide Prevention Scotland, Public Health Scotland and the Scottish Recovery Network.
Connects with local statutory suicide leads and third-sector agencies to align with the Creating Hope Together Action Plan 2026-2029.
Ability to share learning and best practice studies across the wider homelessness sector in Scotland.

Personalised and Creative

Explores the delivery of innovative peer-led approaches and community-led learning resources.
Develop creative methods to embed tailored models of training such as Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) and SafeTalk training, for the people we support
Produces impact reporting that uses person-centred indicators to demonstrate success.

Digital Inclusion

Uses digital platforms and social media to disseminate shared learning and impact reports emerging from the project.
Promotes digital inclusion by ensuring mental health recovery materials are accessible to those with limited experience of digital systems.

Our Values

Inclusion & Participation

We include everyone in the services and resources they need, regardless of their circumstances and ensure each person's voice and influence are heard and felt in everything that we do.

Personalised & Creative

Each person we support is an individual with unique circumstances, needs and future potential which requires a uniquely tailored response.

Warmth & Regard

We see beyond a person's current or past circumstances, recognising their inherent value, worth and potential as human beings.

Partnership & Collaboration

We know we need to work positively with others to deliver a truly inclusive and personalised approach, improve our response and add value to the experience of the people we support.

Supportive & Ambitious

We encourage and support ambition, building on strengths to foster hope for the people we support as well as deliver growth and development for staff and volunteers.

Person Specification

Training & Qualification

Essential

SSSC recognised practice qualification.

Expertise in people-led design, co-production and trauma-informed practice.

Desirable

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) or SafeTalk Trainer certification.

ASIST Trained or Trainer

Experience

Essential

Proven track record in capacity building programme development and multi-agency engagement.

Experience leading projects involving severe and multiple disadvantages (SMD).

Desirable

Experience in academic collaboration or evidence -based research dissemination.

Knowledge & Skills

Essential

Understanding trauma and the impacts of mental distress and mental illness, within the context of homelessness.

Ability to analyse complex systems and translate high-level strategy into frontline tools.

Excellent communication and influencing skills

Desirable

Knowledge of the Creating Hope Together strategic framework and national drug/alcohol policy.

Personal

Essential

Proactive and ambitious "can-do" attitude.

High level of emotional intelligence and resilience, regarding suicide prevention and grief.

Desirable

A mentor/coach approach to supporting the development of the staff "Champions Network"

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