Bethany’s Welcome Centre Adapts to Continue Critical Support
Since 2020, Bethany Christian Trust has partnered with the City of Edinburgh Council, the Scottish Government, and the Haymarket Hub Hotel to deliver the Rapid Re-accommodation Welcome Centre in Edinburgh. Developed in response to the pandemic, the service transitioned from the Care Shelter model to provide 24-hour en-suite accommodation, ensuring people were safely off the streets. Since then, the project has provided emergency stays and support to 4,500 people, focusing on rapid re-housing into more suitable accommodation.
In recent months, changes to the application of HMO licensing regulations in Edinburgh created the potential for service interruption just as winter set in. However, the Haymarket Hub Hotel was granted an exemption by the City of Edinburgh Council, resulting in the hotel continuing to provide emergency accommodation for four months beyond the original 30 November 2024 deadline. This ensured that the Welcome Centre could operate right through the coldest period of the year, offering 26 weeks of continuous emergency accommodation – just four weeks short of a full season.
As the Haymarket Hub Hotel prepares to return to its original role as a tourist hotel, it will close on 31st March for refurbishment before reopening to the public. Bethany extends heartfelt thanks to the Haymarket Hub Hotel, whose remarkable partnership, enabled by the City of Edinburgh Council, has facilitated this life-saving service across five winter seasons.
Throughout March, Bethany has been working intensively to support current guests into safe and suitable alternative accommodation, ensuring that no one is displaced when the hotel transitions back to its original use.
Temporary Adaptation for April
With the support of the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council, Bethany is temporarily adapting the service for April:
- Monday–Friday, a daily drop-in service providing a warm, trauma-informed space with general support, tailored key work, and invited visiting partner services (9am–5pm at Barclay Viewforth Church)
- Seven nights a week, a two-course evening meal is provided and prepared by multiple church volunteer teams, where guests will receive a freshly prepared and nutritious hot dinner, as well as support from the Bethany Welcome Centre team (7:30–10pm at Gorgie Parish Church)
- There will be no overnight facility during this period, but the team will work together with partners and the City of Edinburgh Council during the daytime and evening projects to maximise pathways to accommodation for people who have no alternative
Through these new short-term initiatives, Bethany is working to continue delivering the tailored and person-centred support that has made the Welcome Centre such a central part of the city’s intervention in the homelessness crisis. The professional staff support provided throughout April relies on the grants and voluntary donations that fund the Welcome Centre’s staffing, and the same team will operate on a new rota to provide this adapted service.
Commitment to the Future
Alasdair Bennett, Chief Executive said,
“The Care Shelter in its original form has a long history of adapting to the challenges of a changing landscape in supporting and sheltering vulnerable and homeless people, and the Welcome Centre has followed a similar path over the last five years, adapting and developing to meet the needs and circumstances of more people in crisis. Be assured, Bethany Christian Trust is working with the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government to plan suitable accommodation from which to again operate the Rapid Re-accommodation Welcome Centre from October 2025, on our usual season start date. The model is established and strongly supported by statutory and voluntary sector partners with whom we work together in diverting people from potentially rough sleeping circumstances into improved accommodation outcomes.
We are deeply grateful to the Welcome Centre staff for all their love and service, to the church teams who continue to provide and prepare two-course hot meals, to our supporters who champion the plight of the people we serve, to major donors and trusts who further enable this work, to our charity partners for collaborating with us, and to local and national government for their grant funding and partnership.
Bethany strives to show Christian love in action, seeking to restore dignity through care and compassion in the midst of deep brokenness and displaced lives. Thank you sincerely for all your support.”
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FAQs
Why is the Welcome Centre closing early?
Circumstances at the Haymarket Hub Hotel, where the Welcome Centre has been hosted since 2020, have changed so that we are no longer able to use the premises as emergency homeless accommodation.
Changes to the application of HMO licensing regulations in Edinburgh created the potential for service interruption and, after a four month extension, the Haymarket Hub Hotel is now preparing to return to its original role as a tourist hotel. It will close on 31st March to undergo a major refurbishment ahead of reopening to the public.
What support is being put in place for the remainder of the season?
With the support of the Scottish Government and City of Edinburgh Council, Bethany is temporarily adapting the service for April:
- Monday–Friday, a daily drop-in service providing a warm, trauma-informed space with general support, tailored key work, and invited visiting partner services (9am–5pm at Barclay Viewforth Church)
- Seven nights a week, a two-course evening meal is provided and prepared by multiple church volunteer teams, where guests will receive a freshly prepared and nutritious hot dinner, as well as support from the Bethany Welcome Centre team (7:30–10pm at Gorgie Parish Church)
- There will be no overnight facility during this period, but the team will work together with partners and the City of Edinburgh Council during the daytime and evening projects to maximise pathways to accommodation for people who have no alternative
Through these new short-term initiatives, Bethany Christian Trust is working to continue delivering the tailored and person-centred support that has made the Welcome Centre such a central part of the city’s intervention in the homelessness crisis.
What is happening to the people who have been staying at the Welcome Centre up until the 31st March?
Throughout March, Bethany has been working intensively to support current guests into safe and suitable alternative accommodation, seeking to ensure that no one is displaced when the hotel transitions back to its original use. Whilst there will be no overnight facility after the 31st March, the team will work together with partners and the City of Edinburgh Council during the daytime and evening projects to maximise pathways to accommodation for people who have no alternative.
Where can I direct people/what advice can I give to people I see sleeping on the streets?
It can be hard to know what to do when you see people on the streets but showing you care can have a massive impact on an individual.
In Edinburgh, we are temporarily adapting the Welcome Centre service for April – feel free to direct anyone you see needing help to the following new drop-in services:
- Monday-Friday, a daily drop-in service providing a warm, trauma-informed space with general support, tailored key work, and invited visiting partner services (9am–5pm at Barclay Viewforth Church)
- Seven nights a week, a two-course evening meal is provided and prepared by multiple church volunteer teams, where guests will receive a freshly prepared and nutritious hot dinner, as well as support from the Bethany Welcome Centre team (7:30–10pm at Gorgie Parish Church)
Our Get Help section offers a directory of different Bethany support services available across Scotland, and you can use it to help someone find the kind of support they need.
We also have this leaflet which shows you what services are available in Edinburgh, which can be a handy tool to give to people you see on the streets. If you would like to get some printed copies sent to you, please email us, supporters@bethanychristiantrust.com.
You can also see our directory of other organisations who may be able to help.
What's the plan for next year?
Bethany Christian Trust is working with the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government to plan suitable accommodation from which to again operate the Rapid Re-accommodation Welcome Centre from October 2025. The model is strongly supported by statutory and voluntary sector partners and is considered to be highly effective in diverting people from potentially rough sleeping circumstances into improved accommodation outcomes in a caring and supportive way.
What will happen to the staff who worked at the Welcome Centre?
The Welcome Centre staff team will be working at the daily drop-ins and evening banquets for April, working to continue the provision of tailored support and evening meals for people who access the temporary adapted service.
Why is the money raised for the service still required, despite the Welcome Centre closing early?
The professional staff support provided throughout April relies on the grants and voluntary donations that fund the Welcome Centre’s staffing, and the same team will operate on a new rota to provide this adapted service.
Can I get involved in the new adapted service provision?
If you would like to get involved, please contact Eleanor, our Welcome Centre Administrator at welcomecentreadmin@bethanychristiantrust.com
Can I still donate to support people sleeping rough?
Absolutely! Our mission is to relieve the suffering and meet the long term needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland.
To do this we partner with communities, churches, organisations, local and national government to offer tailored support and services.
This work continues to take place across the country. Our Crisis Intervention services are specifically designed for those in the midst of crisis, meeting people in the emergency with practical care and long-term solutions.
You can donate to this ongoing work via our giving form.