A new city centre hub is being created to help Glasgow’s homeless.
The multi-agency facility will house a range of services for vulnerable adults with multiple complex needs based on the award-winning City Ambition Network (CAN).
People with personal experience of life on the streets are helping Glasgow City Health & Social Care Partnership (GCHSCP) and partners redesign the city’s homelessness services to ensure they are easily accessible for those in need.
Plans for the hub include a treatment room offering triage services, an office, a quiet area and a kitchen. Pets will also be welcome at the centre which is expected to open at the end of this year.
The drop-in centre is a collaboration between public and Third Sector organisations. External funding of £150,000 has been secured to set it up with additional support from The Robertson Trust and funding from GCHSCP.
A steering group of key partners will include Glasgow City Mission, the Simon Community, Turning Point Scotland and the Marie Trust.
Cllr Mhairi Hunter, Chair of Glasgow City Joint Integration Board, said: “Partnership working is at the heart of this new project. We have listened to the views of people who have personally experienced homelessness and their comments, along with those of our Third Sector partners, have helped shape plans for this new facility.
“Many homeless people gravitate to the city centre and the hub will be somewhere safe and warm where they can get urgent assistance quickly, as well as being directed to other services which can help them with non-urgent health care, food, showers, clothing and accommodation.”
Other successful partnership projects such as CAN have highlighted the benefits of joint working. CAN was set up 18 months ago by GCHSCP and the Third Sector. It recently received recognition at the Scottish Social Services Awards where it won the Silo Buster category.
In the awards submission, service user Derek Bradford explained how CAN is helping him turn his life around.
Derek said: “Up until a month ago I was sleeping rough and using illicit drugs. The City Ambition Network got me into rehab and I’ve been clean for over a month.”
Proposals for the new city centre hub will be heard by Glasgow City Integration Joint Board today (Wednesday 20th). The hub location has yet to be finalised.
