Aberdeen

Aberdeen is a granite-built city on Scotland's northeast coast, shaped by the oil and gas industry that once brought real wealth here, though that money hasn't reached everyone equally. Average household income in the area sits around £35,000 a year, but the gap between the well-off and those struggling is stark, and the cost of living, especially rent, remains high relative to wages. Aberdeen City Council recorded 730 homelessness applications in a recent year, a number that reflects real pressure on housing and services, not just a passing statistic. The city has a hard edge in winter, with wind coming straight off the North Sea, so shelter matters here in a way that's not abstract. Cyrenians Aberdeen works directly with people sleeping rough or at risk of it, and Instant Neighbour has long provided food, furniture, and crisis support to those with nothing. Aberdeen Foyer also offers support geared toward younger people trying to get stable footing again. If you're reading this while trying to figure out where to sleep tonight, know that you are not invisible here, and there are people in this city whose whole job is to see you and help, not judge you.