Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Charity set to move into new premises
A DUNDEE homeless charity hopes its future could be secured after identifying new premises.
The Eagles Wings Trust wants to convert premises in Douglas Street into a drop-in centre.
It comes after the charity — which featured in yesterday’s Tele for its work in helping vulnerable people such as addicts through its mobile soup kitchen — issued an appeal for locals to help it find a new home earlier this year.
The charity has operated from Elim Pentecostal Church in Dudhope Terrace Road for five years but with the church now moving back into those premises, it has to shift.
Trust manager Mike Cordiner previously said he hoped the move would allow it to expand its services.
A planning application has now been lodged with Dundee City Council for the organisation to move into a unit in Douglas Street, on the edge of the city centre.
In the application, Mike said the facility would provide a drop-in centre for homeless people from noon-2pm, Monday to Thursday.
He added: “We will provide hot drinks and lunch.
“We will also provide advice and support to service users in connection with the council Connect team and Dundee North Law Centre.
“We will also store our soup kitchen van at the premises.”
Mike said those who run the charity had been discussing the possibility of developing the service it offers.
He said: “We have no definite plans yet but are considering what we could do differently in the future to help vulnerable people in the city.
“We will use this move to look at how we plan to go forward.”
Mike and a friend f ounded the Christian-based charity in 2000 and it has grown ever since.
In its early days, he started going round the streets of Dundee handing out soup and sandwiches to people in need — and demand has grown to the point where the charity’s services are more popular than ever.
Mike said the trust exists to help those who are homeless, have addiction problems or are in the process of recovery.
“We have been very lucky where we are because we haven’t had to pay any rent but we would be able to afford a small lease,” he said. “Our needs are fairly specific. “We require a decent kitchen, space for couches and tables, an office room or two, and if possible with parking and somewhere to store the van.”
Mike and his team regularly take their mobile soup kitchen into the Bell Street area of the city, where they also hand out essentials such as sleeping bags.