A HOMELESS project which has transformed lives has secured funding to open a second centre in Edinburgh.
The pioneering project has been running for the past 18 years and provides accommodation for men who have been long-term homeless. There are just 12 specially built flats at the base in Leith, and what makes a difference is the residents are offered a life-long tenancy.
It’s one of the reasons why the Thorntree Street centre, run by charity Rowan Alba, has been a success story in helping people to change their lives.
And now they hope to help more people after reaching their funding target to buy a second building in the capital’s Peffermill Road which will offer nine flats to homeless men over the age of 50.
A share offer was launched October and closed within weeks after investors from Scotland, other parts of the UK, and Europe came forward.
Helen Carlin, founder of Rowan Alba, said: “I wasn’t surprised that we reached our target but I was certainly delighted. I knew there was like-minded people out there who would want to help otherwise I don’t think I would have embarked on it,” said Ms Carlin. “I knew that people were bothered about this, but I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to reach them.
“To say I am delighted is an understatement as it means we can help more people – it will take nine more homeless people off the street. We run small units and nine might not seem a lot of people, but if those nine people happened to be your relatives – father, uncle, brother – it would make a difference to them.”
Trying to raise funds for a second site during a pandemic might have been a challenge for some, but Ms Carlin believes this past year has made people think differently about their lives and other people.
“I think people have looked at what they have and their lives differently through this and want to do something to help. We had offers ranging from £500 to £50,000. I think people have woken up to inequality through the pandemic and that people who might have thought they were living quite average lives are actually pretty lucky.”
Jerry McFarlane says charity has saved his life
Through the Community Shares Scotland scheme, the charity under its Common Good for Homeless fundraising initiative reached the target of £650,000 with weeks to spare before their deadline. The aim is to convert the new property into supported accommodation for nine people living with addiction problems who are currently, or in danger of rough sleeping.
Although there has been a slight delay due to coronavirus restrictions, they hope to receive the keys in mid March with the hope they can welcome the first residents in the summer.
Read more: Glasgow architecture firm expands to take on staff despite lockdown
“We will have some work to do to convert it into nine en-suite rooms. It will be slightly different from Thorntree which was purpose built with kitchen facilities,” added Ms Carlin. “However we found that wasn’t always put to use and this model with be room only with meals provided in a common area.
“We have always had a different approach at Rowan Alba and that was to offer life tenancies. The people who come to us have probably been barred from hostels and B and Bs because of their addiction, but we are more practical and pragmatic. We weren’t about trying to change people or throw them out of their accommodation because of the addiction, but to help them through it. I think people call it “trauma informed” now, but it is about allowing someone to be themselves and for us to be patient and tolerant. It can take people quite a while to adjust to the fact they won’t be thrown out. They think their behaviour might push you to react, but we aren’t going to put people out of their home.”
Helen Carlin, founder of Rowan Alba
It is an approach that has changed the life of one tenant. Jerry McFarlane lived on the streets on and for 30 years. He’s been beaten and robbed and battled to survive. When he decided to seek help, he found himself being offered a place at Thorntree Street which he says saved his life.
“I was in my late 60s and still on the streets,” said Mr McFarlane, 70. “If it hadn’t been for this place I don’t think I would be here – I don’t think I could have taken much more.
“I have now got a place to stay and some stability. I have somewhere to call home and my own key. Thorntree has changed everything for me. It was certainly worth the wait, but it has changed my life.”
Ms Carlin believes there is a need for similar projects in most cities across Scotland and would be open to talking to people who might be interested in working in a similar way.
“If I had a magic wand and the money, I would look to replicate this in other cities,” added Ms Carlin. “I would love to hear from anyone interested in this to see where it could lead.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here