The Wheatley Foundation will spend £3m annually on projects targeting poverty and social exclusion.
An impressive 7,000 people in Scotland are set to receive help within a year from a new charitable trust targeting poverty and social exclusion.
More than 2,500 people have already benefitted from the work of the Wheatley Foundation in its first three months.
The foundation was set up in April by the Wheatley Group, a housing and care organisation spanning 17 Scottish local authority areas.
It will spend around £3m annually on initiatives to improve the lives of tenants, factored homeowners and social care service users.
Schemes benefiting from the foundation’s investment include Wheatley’s Modern Apprenticeship programme, which has just seen 41 young people from its communities start their two-year apprenticeship, and the Wheatley Pledge, which incentivises contractors and suppliers to do more for communities through jobs and training opportunities.
Other initiatives include My Great Start, which supports new tenants settling into their homes by offering help and advice, including budgeting skills.
Lorraine McLaren, Wheatley Group’s partnership and growth manager, said: “The Wheatley Foundation has already helped thousands of people lead better lives.
“The past few months have seen many people who were struggling to find work get jobs and training places, some of the most excluded people in our communities form friendships and take up new activities, and our young people given the support they need to take their first steps into a brighter future.
“But this is just the first stage, and we look forward to seeing our communities – some of the most deprived in the country – grow stronger as the foundation continues to grow.”
Communities minister Angela Constance praised the foundation’s work as she met beneficiaries of its programmes at Wheatley House in Glasgow.
Constance said: “I’m delighted to have seen first-hand the difference the Wheatley Foundation is making to lives across Scotland.
“Noone in Scotland should be living in poverty, and it is crucial that we are able to give support to those most in need, when they need it. We are seeing real success in supporting young people into work and making sure they have the right skills for the future.
“Our ambition is for a fair and equal Scotland, and organisations like Wheatley Group are helping to achieve that by pledging to do more.”
