The Community Block – Delivering joined up community facilities
Key Contact: Evelyn Murray
Address: 20 Grampian Gardens, Fintry, Dundee, DD4 9QZ
Telephone: 01382 860360
Email: Evelyn Murray
In a nutshell
At the Block, we provide community facilities for the residents of North Fintry, Dundee. We cater for the zero to 90 age group and provide a wide range of services - from legal advice to belly dancing, literacy to soccer skills, IT to graffiti art. Our motto is ‘nothing is impossible’. We believe that and follow it to the letter.
The issues addressed
North Fintry faced a range of challenges:
• about 70 per cent of the population of North Fintry in Dundee were single parents – of which half were under the age of 21
• high unemployment
• almost 90 per cent of the population in the area were in receipt of benefits
• the Scottish Index of Deprivation revealed that the area was in the most deprived 10 percent in Scotland.
The approach to the issues
Dundee Council rented six flats in the area for office accommodation and a nursery. The council decided that this arrangement would come to an end. Abertay Housing Association and the existing Residents Group decided to ask the community what they wanted in place of these facilities. A survey was carried out of residents. This revealed that a community centre was important. Abertay therefore continued a lease for the six flats to the community and the Block was developed. It now houses important community resources:
• Dundee North Law Centre – providing free legal advice
• Action Team for Jobs – enabling the community to access benefit and employment advice
• the Fintry North Youth Project – a drop in resource managed by a committee made up of local residents
• a crèche – offering free childcare for users of the building.
Setting up the work
The Block was set up during modernisation of the properties and an environmental improvement programme in North Fintry.
We were set up by Abertay Housing Association and the local community. The existing Residents Group acted as a facilitator between the two and fed back the views of the community to the housing association.
We receive funding from the Community Regeneration Fund and Working for Families, which pay for the bulk of our costs. Much of the funding was applied for jointly between the different projects in the Block.
Evidence of success
Our work has strengthened community spirit and built community capacity.
• Through the support and advice received from our services, people are better informed to enable them to make changes to their lives – and this in turn has encouraged greater sense of self-belief.
• Young people have started taking an interest in their area - and have, for example, been involved in the design of a Ball Games Court.
• Fewer residents are moving away from the area.
• There is less vandalism.
We won the Partnership Working SURF award (2006). The judges thought that:
• our work demonstrated best practice in partnership working in regeneration
• there was a genuine commitment of those involved
• there was a high level of community involvement in developing and running the work.
One great thing – Joined up working
Working with others is vital for our work. There could have been little success without it. Joined up working has meant that:
• all parts of our work are led by the community
• we have been able to pull together resources - for example, Abertay Housing Association provide the premises, a staff member and constant support
• we have been able to involve outside agencies to deliver services, including Dundee College, Social Work, the Community Information Team, the Urban Rangers and so on.
Lessons learnt
• Believe in your project - even when others don’t.
• Ask for help but keep your brain ticking over and do not be tempted to follow advice which does not feel right.
• The most invaluable skill is listening. We believe that the community are our on the spot experts and that people who live in the area do know best.
• Be prepared to move on if something doesn’t work. We are prepared to have a go at anything - if it doesn't work, then we stop.
• By involving outside agencies – who are already funded – we have cut the running costs of our work. This means that there are fewer issues about how to fund our work – and keep it going.
