Marion Gibbs

I only found out about Marion's passing 3 days ago. Shocked and saddened, I send my condolences to her family, Lorna and friends, on this the anniversary, 2 years on. I was at school with Marion, Turriff Academy, in the late 1970s. A friendly, helpful, academic, who got stuck in, whether studying, or at sports. I recall having good/in depth current affairs conversations of the day with her, especially relating to Scotland. She had a purposeful walk and seemed to always have a smile on her face. A good person. She stood out (to me) as possibly 1 of the top 3 academics in our year at school. A studious, well read person, with a bright future. I last saw her in 1980. I knew nothing of her movements after that year and I'm so glad to have read that she used her potential in such a positive way within our society, helping others. Well done Marion! You were a bright light and are sorely missed.

I knew Marion for around 10 years, initially supporting "New Scots" which we ended up supporting together when I joined the Homelessness Unit 2018. I was Ideally placed to learn from the person who knew basically everything there was to know about housing and homelessness and happy to share. I have great memories of spending hours discussing RRTPs and Housing First at the end of almost every working day during home working and discussing football, holidays, eating out and music which Marion was always to keen to engage in. After 5pm I'm sure Lorna always knew it was mainly me on the other end of the laptop and the cats would always show me their climbing skills as well. I send my love to Lorna and both of your families.

Marion's knowledge of, dedication to, and passion for, the cause of homelessness was both incredible and infectious. And she had a unique enthusiasm for data to support improvement, which I always very much appreciated. Her impact and presence were huge, while also being modest. She is a great loss in so many ways. I hope some comfort, however small, can be found in knowing that her legacy will live on.

Marion was my Team Leader from 2009 and immediately her passion for making a difference to people experiencing homelessness was obvious. Her knowledge of the sector was second to none and I was so grateful for that as I tried to make my own small contribution. However, more than that Marion became my confidant. She always made a point of checking in with me for a chat and to see how I was doing. I really miss her. I offer my sincerest condolences to Lorna and Marion’s family and hope it is comforting for them to know that Marion touched many peoples lives.

I worked with Marion for only a short period, meeting her when I first joined SFHA. In that short time she was so generous and helpful in sharing her knowledge about the housing and homelessness policy environment in Scotland. I will miss her friendly approach, expert knowledge and her sense of humour. It was lovely to know her and I'm so sorry that we have lost her

This is a lovely picture of Marion, she always greeted me with that smile. She was warm, kind and had a great deep laugh that was often heard throughout the office. I was always impressed by Marion's unwavering commitment to tackling homelessness, she was a pioneer in the housing world and not afraid to do things differently. We all respected her knowledge but also knew she had plenty of good chat and that's why so many people gravitated towards her - she brought her whole self to work. I send my deepest condolences to Marion's wife and family at this sad time.

There are very few people who had more expert knowledge concerning housing policy and practice than Marion - knowledge she put at the service of improvement and innovation. Marion played such a central role in the development and delivery of Scotland's highly progressive laws and policies, bringing attention to detail and genuine commitment in driving change. She was generous with her insight and consistent with her focus. She was so often at the very heart of efforts to inform and cooperate with colleagues and stakeholders across the sector. Marion will be very much missed and her legacy is one that will continue to see generations benefit from positive change in our housing system.

Marion was a fierce advocate for housing rights and a natural bridge builder focused on securing real change. Not afraid to challenge us at Shelter Scotland at times, her dedication, compassion and professionalism pushed everyone who worked with her forward to do better. Her legacy is in the system and the people she inspired to tackle homelessness no matter how difficult it sometimes appeared.