Homeless charity gets creative to lift spirits
A homeless charity has been getting creative to help lift spirits during lockdown.
Blue Triangle Housing Association service users were finding the current situation more difficult than most with increased uncertainty about the future and isolation, in particular, a problem.
In an attempt to stay positive, staff and users came up with a range of activities to boost moral.
Project manager Lisa MacDonald told The Oban Times: ‘It’s a really difficult time for everyone at the moment.
‘We are like a family here and everyone wanted to do something positive to help lift spirits.’
One of the tasks was to brighten up a bleak looking wall at the back of the charity’s Shore Street premises, resulting in a ‘wall of wisdom’ on which both staff and service users have written inspirational phrases that mean something to them.
The result is an artwork which can be enjoyed and added to by current and future residents.
Three of the four Oban Blue Triangle projects back onto each other and residents took it in turns, maintaining social distancing, to work on the wall and to plant and maintain a communal garden.
During Mental Health Awareness Month in May, staff also organised and provided a soup lunch delivery to all their service users, in line with the Kindness theme.
Blue Triangle was established in 1975 as the housing arm of the YWCA to manage its hostels. The Glasgow-based association became its own legal identity in 1991 and over the last 30 years has run community cafes, provided literacy and numeracy support, provided access to training, employment, health and housing.
An Oban service user said: ‘I don’t know where I would be today if it hadn’t been for Blue Triangle.
‘The support from staff and other residents has been great. It makes you feel like part of a large family and helps you to look forward to and prepare for a better future.’
Mainly government funded, the charity relies on donations and contributions from local businesses, organisations and individuals including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Wetherspoons, Oban Classic Car Club, Oban Saints and St Vincent de Paul.
‘We would like to send a heartfelt thanks to everyone who has donated money and essential items to us during this difficult time.
‘It has made a huge difference to service users, helping them deal with any emergency that may arise which they don’t have money for,’ added Lisa.