All of our service users should feel safe and secure. We have few rules, but we ask that no alcohol or drugs be taken on the premises and no violence, either physical or verbal is tolerated, this ensures that everyone is treated with respect and can feel safe. It allows people to be treated with dignity, a dignity that few are afforded on the streets.

We are open six days a week; our programme can be viewed here. As well as food and shelter we aim to provide some clothing, when we can and some basic advice. Most of the support that we can offer is informal and consists of signposting to other agencies who can help with specific problems, a list of some those agencies can be found here.

As we are a relatively small project we are unable to offer much in the way of individual support for example we cannot take on clients in a key worker relationship, however that kind of support is available from some of those other agencies and we are happy to refer on to them.

We value individuals and we want to see them value themselves. One of the things we have found is that the people who use The Grassmarket Mission often see themselves as worthless, they see their lives without purpose, direction or meaning. In a small effort to address this we have introduced a cooking class that runs in a ten-week course about three times a year and a woodwork workshop in partnership with Cyrenians which runs a couple of days a week. The idea behind these is not only to train and give skills to those service users who take part (although that inevitably happens), but to offer them a way to feel part of something, to feel that they do have a purpose, that they can contribute. One of the things I have found is that people whose lives have no framework on which to hang collapse in on themselves, like a tent with no tent poles. We need a framework on which to hang our lives. One or two days a week is not much, but often it’s enough to make a start with. Some of the people who have completed the cooking classes have gone on to college; others to paid work, some to volunteer within the mission and with other agencies. They have credited the time spent with us as a major part of their rehabilitation. We hope in the very near future to add a gardening project to those already running and we have even greater dreams and visions for the future.

For many of our service users personal faith is not particularly high on their agenda, however should they wish spiritual guidance, prayer or to see a minister we are very happy to arrange that. Many of our volunteers are Christians and are happy to talk about their faith if appropriate, but this is always done in a non-threatening way, usually led by the enquirer.