8th anniversary of Steps to Hope SCIO

That this House marks the 8th anniversary of the establishment of Steps to Hope SCIO in 2018; recognises the organisation’s continued work in tackling homelessness and addiction in Edinburgh through peer-led recovery support, emergency food provision, and structured residential rehabilitation; notes that homelessness and addiction remain among the most urgent and persistent social challenges facing communities across Scotland and the wider United Kingdom; acknowledges the importance of the organisation’s weekly soup kitchens in Edinburgh, providing free three-course meals and takeaway support to people experiencing homelessness and/or addiction; further notes its 10-bedroom peer-led residential recovery programme, which is based on the 12 Steps model and includes a structured daily and weekly schedule of recovery work, wellbeing activities, skills development and community reintegration; further recognises the value of lived-experience leadership in recovery services, as demonstrated by Steps to Hope volunteers who are themselves in recovery; and commends Steps to Hope SCIO for its ongoing contribution to supporting individuals to achieve sustained recovery, rebuild their lives, and reintegrate into society.