Carol-Anne Alcorn This is Me

 Web References

1. 1. Scotsman.com Living - Recipe for a brighter future

   living.scotsman.com/index.cfm? - [Cached]

   Published on: 12/17/2006   Last Visited: 12/17/2006

   Carol-Anne Alcorn, FareShare's programme manager in Edinburgh, says she has already sensed a growing unease as the streets fill with festive shoppers and Christmas looms ever closer.
   
   Alcorn's job is not just to feed and water the homeless, but to support them in every sense. The FareShare scheme is run by the Edinburgh Cyrenians, whose motto is "A hand up, not a handout". "We have a holistic approach to homelessness," she says.
   ...
   "There's a real sense of community at the depot, but there's also some tough love and people know we have standards," says Alcorn. "If someone turns up and is not in a fit state, we ask them to go home. Equally, if someone doesn't turn up, it's our policy to ring them and check that they are okay."
   
   By far the biggest challenge for FareShare is funding. "We fight a deficit every year and are always having fundraising events to meet that, but our aim is to get 80% core funding," says Alcorn.
   ...
   "Loneliness is one of the biggest issues," says Alcorn. "Living in a hostel you can be surrounded by people, but you might not know anyone. Filling people's lives with contacts can be invaluable because often getting back on track is as much a mental battle as it is a physical one."
   
   Aspects of life that most of us take for granted - such as going to a summer barbecue - have to be approached differently at FareShare. "Many homeless people have never been to a barbecue and to hold one on the beach or in a park would be outside their comfort zone," Alcorn says.