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Edinburgh’s Community Help & Advice Initiative (CHAI) offers a number of services to fight poverty in Edinburgh. Eviction prevention has become a core programme at this local charity.

Eviction Prevention

Tenants living in North, South and West Edinburgh who are facing homelessness may be able to get help from a local ally. CHAI supplies caseworkers to tenants who are facing eviction in Edinburgh Sheriff Court.

Does this mean you will not be evicted? Unfortunately no organisation can block all evictions. What this organisation does is to provide case workers that will sift through a family’s financial details to determine if there are any feasible alternatives to the eviction.

Throwing cash at rental arrears is a simple enough solution, but funds can be limited at times. CHAI takes a more responsible approach to the issue by helping clients make changes that could allow them to better afford monthly rent. This includes an Advice Service that combines multiple approaches to fully handle the issue the client is having.

Budget counselling from a Money Advice Worker can help determine whether the household budget or debts are getting out of control. The Housing Advice Worker can evaluate housing needs and financial capabilities to determine if each client is able to afford to remain in the current rental home.

The Advice Team takes a multifaceted approach to ensure that each client will be able to afford their current home. There are additional resources that may be matched to each case to help increase the chances of beating the eviction. They routinely work cases on behalf of others who are in court on their own eviction cases, so they understand the challenges that each tenant faces on their own.

Edinburgh Housing Advice Partnership

CHAI took a lead role in a local homelessness prevention service. The Edinburgh Housing Advice Partnership (EHAP) goes beyond evictions to help make sure that everyone has the opportunity to obtain safe and affordable housing. This advice service offers the opportunity for impoverished residents to obtain services and get matched to housing programmes.

Housing Support is available to those who need help living independently. Elderly clients make up the majority of CHAI’s Housing Support Services caseload. The purpose of the project is to help vulnerable tenants avoid the situations that can lead to eviction from their home.

Income Maximisation Project

One of the ways that CHAI helps make rent more affordable is to help clients increase their income. The organisation goes above and beyond the basic charitable programmes by actually working with the client to find ways to make more money. An Employability Pipeline has been established to guide participants through financial problems that may be keeping them out of job training programmes and entry-level jobs.

Getting a couple hundred extra pounds per month may not seem like much, but if a household budget surplus is only 50 pounds, then they have just quadrupled their surplus with the extra earnings. The effect is even more substantial for lower income households who struggle to pay their rent or otherwise close a budget deficit.

Make an Appointment

CHAI has assisted walk-ins on occasion but the organisation strongly encourages that an appointment be booked so that adequate resources might be reserved for each case. If an eviction is imminent, the organisation can prioritise a case so that action may be taken quickly.

An appointment hotline has been established at 0131 442 1009. Clients may meet with members of the CHAI Advice Team at one of two primary locations:

• ELS House at Chesser (555 Gorgie Road)
• South Edinburgh Neighbourhood Office (at the Library on 40 Captain’s Road)

When making an appointment the representative will advise what items should be brought to the meeting.