Today (Tues 2nd October), Quarriers are delighted to welcome Stewart Maxwell MSP, Minister for Communities and Sport, to officially launch the Stopover project, for young homeless people in Glasgow.
To mark the official opening, Mr Maxwell will join staff, the young people who are supported by the project, Glasgow City Council social work department, The Homelessness Partnership and West of Scotland Housing Association, to release 1000 helium balloons from the new £2M purpose-built project base at 200 Pollokshaws Road in Glasgow.
Mr Maxwell says, “I’m absolutely delighted to be opening the Quarriers Stopover project, which is a great example of how partnership working can bring about tangible results for homeless people. Young people who find themselves homeless can be particularly vulnerable, so that’s why I’m especially pleased to see this initiative up and running. Hopefully it will enable young people down on their luck to start rebuilding their lives by helping them find permanent accommodation and equipping them with the skills they need to live independently.”
Quarriers chief executive, Phil Robinson says, “Stopover goes far beyond addressing young people’s housing needs alone and provides a variety of different support from practical welfare rights advice to emotional warmth and care”.
He continues, “Young people who are forced to cope with independence at an early age are catapulted into an adult world of jobs, paying bills, budgeting etc where they find themselves completely unprepared, especially if they have not experienced a stable, nurturing or secure upbringing, therefore we want ensure that those being supported in temporary accommodation are not further disadvantaged”.
Stopover provides short-stay emergency accommodation for young men and women aged between 16 and 25 who find themselves homeless for a whole range of reasons including family breakdowns and personal difficulties. The project aims to bring stability to the lives of some young people who desperately need it and help them get back on their feet. Stopover also helps them find somewhere more permanent to live as well as assisting with life skills such as budgeting and cooking – a vital stepping stone for some youngsters who have had no previous help.
The project is funded by Supporting People and Glasgow City Council social work department. West of Scotland Housing Association is the project’s landlord. West of Scotland Housing Association commissioned the new building, which was funded by Glasgow City Council, Communities Scotland and a Compulsory Purchase Order through the Scottish government. Quarriers has been managing the project since 1995, when it was taken over from the Glasgow Council for Single Homeless.
Duncan McNaught, chief executive of the West of Scotland Housing Association said: “West of Scotland Housing Association is pleased to be involved in this superb project providing much needed accommodation for young single homeless. This is a replacement project for one which was previously owned by the Association and run by Quarriers, which had to close due to the proposed M74 extension. This new project therefore allows us to continue with our long established and very successful partnership with Quarriers, which is able to provide excellent support to the young individuals in this purpose-built building.
“Thanks must also go to our funders, Glasgow City Council Development and Regeneration Services Department and the Scottish government, without whom the project would not have been possible.”
Quarriers is Scotland’s leading and most diverse social care charity providing support to around 18,000 people through 127 projects for children, young people, adults and families who are known to be experiencing extreme difficulties or who are typically hard-to-reach. The organisation has grown and changed considerably since it was founded in 1871 by William Quarrier at Bridge of Weir, expanding to meet the needs of young homeless people, children and adults with a disability, people with epilepsy and carers from across Scotland and beyond. Staff numbers are now in excess of 1800 and the charity has an expected turnover of £38M this year.
THIS INFORMATION AND FURTHER DETAILS FROM CAROLINE GRAHAM AT THE BUSINESS
T: 0131 718 6022
M: 07909 963 602
E: carolineg@thebusinesspr.co.uk
