Community Opportunities and Inclusion

A person's status in society is largely determined by their activities and by their level of inclusion.  We therefore support service users to become involved in the community, pursuing their faith and attending church and clubs such as Faith and Light, the Octagon Club  and New Horizon.  We also support service users in wider social activities in mainstream community life such as  leisure centres, karaoke events, theatre and cinema.  Service users may wish to try out new things and are supported to maintain an active social life through such activities and through personal friendships.  We believe that dignity, safety and personal well-being is promoted by the strength of all these ties.

The service empowers individuals through becoming involved in a local service users forum.  Issues from the forum at local level feed into the national forum which is facilitated by advocacy.  A representative from Threshold Edinburgh attends meetings at LDAS.

We will also support service users to seek meaningful and suitable employment. One service user has gained employment in a community café working once a week.  Another person is working in a Charity Shop.

Several service users attend day centres ran and  funded by Edinburgh City Council.  Since May 09 Threshold Edinburgh has been providing day opportunities to individual service users, enabling people to  access  education through local colleges as well meaningful and purposeful activities of their own choice.   Threshold Edinburgh also supports individuals to attend an art group ran by an art therapist on a sessional basis and is open to the community. This is planned on a person-centred basis and on the preferences of the individuals.

Such activities and achievements contribute towards  individuals gaining self-esteem and to feel valued members of society.