'People in the depths of despair are loved and valued' - Joy as Nevis House in Inverness opened
15 August 2025
There was a great deal of excitement yesterday (August 14) at our newest service Nevis House as it officially opened in Inverness.
An extra 22 placements for those on their recovery journey have been made available with the opening of the facility.
Nevis House expands on existing work carried out at Beechwood House, located next door, offering residential rehabilitation, community outreach and social care to people affected by substance use.
Nevis House will provide six beds, equating to up to 22 placements a year. It aims to support referrals from more remote parts of the Highlands alongside the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.
The Scottish Government allocated £100 million to residential rehabilitation as part of the National Mission on drug deaths, including over £38 million which was made available directly to eight projects – including Nevis House – to increase residential rehabilitation capacity across the country.
The service enjoyed an opening ceremony on August 14th and was visited by the Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Maree Todd who unveiled a sign inside the building.
She said: “Expanding residential rehab capacity is central to our National Mission on drugs and I’m grateful to all those who have worked hard to provide this additional service.”
During the unveiling, Mrs Todd shared the poignant words that "people in the depth of despair are loved and valued."
"people in the depth of despair are loved and valued."
- Maree Todd MSP
The MSP met with residents on the day and discussed their journeys and plans for the future.
She discussed her experiences growing up in a household where alcohol addiction was present and heard residents concerns about stigma surrounding addiction.
She expressed an eagerness to tackle the promotion of alcohol to children and those in recovery as well as the impact of social media advertisements.
Service volunteers Vikki and Maggie told their stories of recovery through CrossReach and transition to volunteers.
Maggie said: “Miracles have happened, my life has changed unbelievably. CrossReach has given me such a great opportunity. There’s no magic wand, you have to work at it but I want to help others now.”
While Vikki added that the recovery was like “going from darkness into light.”
She added: “You have to want to do it for yourself. Other people can be a factor but you have to want to help yourself.”
CrossReach CEO Viv Dickenson added: “We are delighted that Nevis House has now opened in Inverness and are grateful to the Scottish Government for the investment and support from the Alcohol and Drug Partnerships in Highland, Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland, that has made this possible.
"The centre will allow the expansion of the work of CrossReach in these areas to allow greater capacity in our residential recovery services enabling a quicker response when people come forward for help.”
