WITH its brightly painted shop front and a neon light reading “sunshine in a bag”, it would be easy to forget that The Bothy Boutique in central Edinburgh has a serious mission behind its sunny facade.
Opened last summer in the trendy suburb of Marchmont, The Bothy Boutique has become a favourite shopping destination for curated second-hand gems and affordable prices in a funky and vibrant atmosphere.
In the past month alone, manager Tim Fidelo has noticed a surge in locals and tourists alike flocking to the shop.
What customers might not know is that The Bothy Boutique is the retail arm of The Breakfast Bothy, a small grassroots charity supporting people in the community who are experiencing homelessness.
With every purchase at the shop, profits go directly towards hot meals, funding a community token scheme, and providing tailored help to people in need.
The charity comes under the umbrella of the Carlowrie Group, and The National spoke to communications manager Caitlin Turner about the erosion of emergency housing services across Scotland.
You've lost your home and you are now looking for a bed for the night. Where do you go? Is the state there to catch you, or are charities coming in to assist more? Have governments and councils got used to charities picking up the slack?
"Councils are overwhelmed and underfunded, so they end up relying on charities," Turner shares.
"But realistically, councils should be responsible for this work. The burden has shifted to charities because of that lack of funding.
"Permanent housing should be handled by councils. Charities can’t do everything. We do amazing work, but we don't have the resources to provide housing.
"Councils should take on those bigger societal issues and work with charities who have insider knowledge and are connected to communities. That partnership would be ideal."
When it comes to emergency housing, Turner knows of several charities are having to pick that up from local authorities who are struggling to find beds.
The most recent homelessness statistics in Scotland were released in September 2024 for the period from April 2023 to March 2024.
Findings for that period show:
- There were 33,619 households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness. An increase of 1088 (3%) compared to 2022-23, and the highest since 2011-12.
- There were 16,330 households in temporary accommodation at 31 March 2024. This is 9% higher than 15,039 at 31 March 2023, and the highest in the time series.
- The number of children in temporary accommodation is also the highest in the series, increasing to 10,110 from 9595 (5%) between March 2023 and 2024.
- The number of households reporting rough sleeping the night before application has increased from 1493 to 1916 and in the three months prior from 2425 to 2931.
Turner said: "We should all care about someone needing a bed for the night, but we’re becoming numb to it because it’s so common.
"I’m not saying councils are doing a terrible job. I think they’re doing their best with what they have. But something needs to change."
Turner describes the need for "a massive funding boost" to build permanent housing and reduce the bottleneck in temporary accommodation, which will in turn free up beds for these emergency cases.
"Right now, 'temporary' housing is becoming more permanent, which is not right," she says.
The Scottish Government has committed to deliver 110,000 affordable homes over the next 10 years, at least 77,000 (70%) of which will be homes for social rent. By delivering a minimum of 38,500 social homes over the next five years where they are needed most, we can begin to reduce affordable housing need.
There are currently 110,000 households on local authority housing waiting lists across Scotland.
Aside from that emergency moment, Turner stressed how a holistic approach must be taken to homelessness with care at the centre.
In addition to support and food provided in-store and from a policebox, the team also operates a token scheme in partnership with local businesses which covers the costs of haircuts, laundry services and bike repairs for guests in need.
"Anyone in need can come get a token from us, then go to a local partner business — a haircut, laundry, bike repair — and swap the token for the service. We pay the business afterward. So the business doesn’t lose out.
"It’s simple and people sometimes think it’s complicated, but the businesses don’t have to do anything different."
She added: "Everything we do is driven by feedback from guests. Listening and caring is at the heart of what we do, rather than imposing our own ideas on people."
In 2025, The Breakfast Bothy is looking to expand their services further, with plans to hire additional support staff and partner with more service providers.
Turner said: "We're trying to get more partners — especially mental health services. We also recently installed a secure storage box for people’s belongings — like tents or bags. It keeps things dry and safe.
And we’re looking to expand into advocacy — helping people navigate systems, like calling the council or other services. That’s scary for many people. We can do that for them."
The council must help you if you’re homeless or at risk of homelessness. Contact your local council’s homeless team here.
Here are a range of other organisations that can offer support.
