Communities Scotland Fund New Homeless Shop

Communities Scotland has awarded £150,000 to Greyfriars Community Project to establish a project giving opportunities to homeless people to make and sell products in Edinburgh’s Old Town. The funding will be used to secure premises and to set up workshops to produce goods to be sold in the shop. In addition the Edinburgh Cyrenians organic farm will supply vegetables to be sold in the shop. The aim of the project is to create 10 full-time jobs and help 60 people into a job.

Roddy Macdonald, head of the social economy unit at Communities Scotland, said: “The Greyfriars Community Project is working to help vulnerable people in Edinburgh and through its work will help renewal and reinvigoration efforts centred at the heart of Edinburgh’s historic Old Town.

Richard Frazer, Greyfriars Kirk minister and chairman of the Community Project Steering Group added: “This award from Communities Scotland is a real boost for our project and a vote of confidence for the work already being undertaken at Greyfriars.

“The opportunity to give people the skills and confidence to turn a house into a home, to overcome loneliness and destructive lifestyles and to aspire to success in life is what our project is all about.”