To ensure that the city centre streets are safe to visit Essential Edinburgh has agreed a five year partnership with charity Street Assist who will offer help on Friday and Saturday nights.
The charity is run by volunteers who offer all kinds of support to those on the street – either people who are homeless or those out for a night out. Sometimes people become separated from friends, or become a little worse for wear, and that is where Street Assist come in. The volunteers provide non-judgemental welfare and first aid assistance, and the charity will now be supported by a five figure sum from Essential Edinburgh in their cooperation with Police Scotland and Cyrenians who help the homeless to find accommodation.
Street Assist with its 160 volunteers operate on Fridays and Saturdays from 10pm until 4am the following morning. Some of their staff are healthcare professionals or students hoping to gain experience for their future employment.
Neil Logan, Director and Founder of the charity, said: “We are really delighted to work with Essential Edinburgh in a partnership that will make Edinburgh’s city centre an even safer environment for people enjoying the nightlife.
“Since January 2017 we have assisted over 5700 people many of whom would have ended up in A&E had we not been operational. This equates to a £4.85million saving in terms of costs, resources and staffing for Police, Ambulance and NHS staff who are then able to deal with real public safety issues and medical emergencies.”
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, said: “Our role is to bring additional value to our members and support the caucus work of our partners. The city centre has a vibrant night-time economy, which is essential to both our success and the enjoyment of Edinburgh for our residents and visitors.
“Edinburgh is known as a very safe city, and in fact as recently as last summer research by Travel Safe showed Edinburgh as the safest place to visit in the UK. However, people do over consume, things do happen even in the safest of places, and having willing, non-judgemental help on hand is something that has proven to be invaluable to thousands of people.
“Street Assist works closely with all of our emergency services, helps ensure people are safe, and through its friendly interventions helps prevent outcomes that could be worse for individuals and for our over-stretched emergency services.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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