My name is Eddie Gorman, I am the project manager of Harbour Ayrshire, a charity supporting people with drug and/or alcohol issues.
Since we have been granted charitable status from OSCR we have worked closely in partnership EACH Recovery Matters. The Hub has been a breath of fresh air for East Ayrshire and brought previously disenfranchised individuals into contact with the services using the Hub. The individual we refer to the Hub report a non-judgmental atmosphere and state the support provide is effective and positive. The gaps and non-communication between services has been reduced between organisations using the Hub to support individuals and people receiving support from Harbour have benefited from more intensive partnership working. The target group using the Hub are” high risk” and had previous negative experiences from other services which has caused them to disengage, I feel the empathy from lived experience Hub staff delivering support has been beneficial.
The Hub has had a huge impact on the East Ayrshire Community, and I would strongly advocate for this to continue. The Hub provides free facilities for 3 Harbour groups, an “out of hours2 women’s support group, a men’s peer support group and a family peer support group. Over 50 people attend and receive support from their peers I would hope the Hub would access funding to continue to support us in our endeavour to make a difference in the lives of people experiencing addiction or who have been affected by a “loved one’s addiction”.