Laura | Faces of Futures

Laura, Service Manager, Queen Mary Avenue (QMA) Homeless Service, Glasgow

Hello, I’m Laura Murphy, Service Manager at QMA. I started working for Hillcrest Futures in 2017 as a relief support worker.

At QMA we provide accommodation for 8 females with complex needs who are experiencing homelessness. We look to move away from the traditional homeless accommodation and provide a safe place for individuals to learn and develop the skills needed to maintain a tenancy. We focus on their rights and teaching them to understand these and advocate for themselves. We support them to reduce harms in line with life choice and focus on the ability to maintain a tenancy along side these.

I am extremely passionate about homelessness as I believe it could happen to any one of us. We focus on harm reduction, in the broadest sense. Our aim to promote individuals own choice and whilst doing so build trusting relationships to reduce harm. For me, promoting people’s own choices is the most important part of our work.

I have been lucky within Hillcrest to have had many opportunities for development. I have been a relief worker, support worker, senior support worker, assistant manager and service manager along with an internal trainer. When opportunities came up, I worked hard and put my name forward for new challenges. Within Glasgow we have always worked very closely as a team and with the introduction of the new structures it has been a pleasure to expand this to the Edinburgh teams. It is vital we learn form each other and share our practice to continuously improve.

I think if you want a career within the Care sector, you need the ability to be open minded, reflective and willing to continually adapt and change your approach. Sometimes the work can be tough going, and in order to be the best support worker, you have to learn to leave your work at the door and switch off from it when you are at home. Creating a clear work/homelife boundary will benefit you both within your role but also in your personal life.

Hillcrest Futures have lots of supporting policies/procedures, including Flexible working. However, I believe work/life balance comes directly from a team culture and it’s vital that line managers are practising what they preach and advocate for this.

There have been so many memorable moments for me over the years, supporting an individual to stabilise a 15-year street Valium addiction to allow her to attend her mother’s funeral and then go on to make Christmas dinner with us and go on holiday to Blackpool. Moving the first person I ever key worked into her forever home and selecting blinds and carpets with her. Using Naloxone successfully for the first time to save a life (now several times!). Surviving the pandemic and continuing to provide much-needed support to individuals throughout, when other support service closed.  Being the first accommodation-based service in Scotland to provide 24-hour IEP provision. Implementing the ‘reducing eviction’ procedure to provide a more secure approach to housing and support.

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