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Maybe your nephew was supported by the ‘Into Work’ programme or your mum worked as a volunteer in one of the residential services for young people at risk of homelessness.

I first started working in homelessness 31 years ago as part of a flagship multi-agency youth work project supporting young homeless, well actually roofless, people in Glasgow city centre.

I loved that job and I loved working with the young people though unfortunately I saw first-hand the stigma they experienced and the barriers they faced, which was all exacerbated by experiences of childhood trauma.

I have worked in many third sector and public sector organisations over the years, but the stigma and barriers stayed with me and I have always worked hard to ensure that every organisation I have been in has been welcoming and accessible to all.

Most recently it was the privilege of my career so far to work as the chief executive of Victim Support where I was trusted to champion and improve the rights of victims in Scotland.

I am immensely proud of all that was achieved by my colleagues over the last eight years – an experience that proved to me once again that it is our duty as charity leaders, to represent people who are often overlooked by those in power.

These are principles already embedded in the fabric of Cyrenians. As former Cyrenians leader Ewan Aitken – whose work I have admired from afar for some years – regularly said, the answers to our world’s problems lie in people’s lived experience.

I intend to abide by those same principles while supporting the organisation to continue to deliver sector leading support in our communities.

As I settle into this job, I hope to use this column as a place where I can report – and reflect on - the problems currently facing the people we work with. Because I am sad to say, that homelessness in Scotland has not improved since I was an enthusiastic young youth worker.

Housing is scarce. The problems which push people into homelessness – poverty, food insecurity, a lack of a social safety net, trauma and mental health crisis, gender-based violence – are rife. There is, despite what some might tell you, no one problem or group to blame for our homelessness emergency.

I have been blown away by the work in Cyrenians that I have seen so far. The expertise, the culture and ethos and the approach that permeates through everything we do – that we all belong, we are all one community together is breathtaking.

I believe in Cyrenians ability to be at the forefront of change. And I have wanted for several decades now to be a part of that change.