NEWS RELEASE MAY 2017

Scottish charity supporting vulnerable and homeless people sets the bar high to mark 20th anniversary

“I’ve became more confident, more independent. I joined a course that I’m absolutely in love with and it’s all down to having the support from Move On.”

So says Olivia, one of thousands of vulnerable people that Move On has helped over the last 20 years.  Move On, a Scottish charity, has announced a series of ambitious projects and targets, building on 20 successful years of supporting some of Scotland’s most vulnerable people.  The 20th anniversary year in 2017 will see Move On continuing to support more young people like Olivia and those of any age affected by homelessness, enabling them to raise their aspirations, build confidence and turn their lives around.

Aims for our 20th anniversary year include:

• Helping 270 vulnerable young people gain employability skills
• Supporting 120 volunteers to mentor young people who have been in care or homeless
• Supporting 50 homeless people to manage independently in the community.
• Helping 70 vulnerable people to improve their literacy skills
• Distributing 600 tonnes of surplus food to organisations in Glasgow and the West of Scotland supporting vulnerable people experiencing food poverty, equating to more than 1,400,000 square meals, as part of its FareShare programme.

These are just some of the initiatives that Move On will be undertaking in a bid to continue delivering valuable support, advice and assistance that helps vulnerable people transform their lives for the better. However, whilst demand for Move On’s services is increasing, the financial resources available to us are decreasing.  Move On is therefore looking to companies and individuals to raise additional funds in order to help more people.  More information, and how to donate, is available on the Move On website – www.moveon.org.uk.

The 20th anniversary will include a celebration of the commitment and hard work of Move On’s amazing volunteers as well as an official launch of Move On’s new Glasgow-based 12,000 sq. ft. food and training depot.

Move On Executive Director, John Hinton said: “Over the last 20 years, we have seen an increase in the complexity of the issues which our service users present with, particularly in relation to underlying mental health problems.  Homeless levels are currently rising and young people are still finding it hard to access employment.   More recently, reductions in local authority spending has meant that we have lost funding for services, reducing our capacity to respond to the growing challenges our service users face.

“On a positive note, this milestone will give us the opportunity to remind ourselves of some of the key successes of the last 20 years. We will tell the stories of people who have received Move On services in the past and celebrate the amazing commitment of our wonderful volunteers. Hopefully, this activity will help us engage businesses and secure the support and assistance we need to continue to deliver effective services in the future, which enable people to achieve positive changes in their lives.”