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 THE AIM of the Chat House Project is to provide a range of community transformation initiatives and services over a three year development period. These services will be targeted at providing a safe and inspirational environment to provide support, counselling and services for children, young adults, and the elderly of the Mary hill community. The Chat House will be a centre for community transformation, social integration and fun and will be used as a platform to promote and address issues related to parenting, substance abuse, peer support, life skills and character building | |
 THE VISION is for a place that caters for the hearts, minds and souls of the people of Glasgow and the Maryhill area where the facility would be located. The location of the Chat House is chosen to be in Maryhill, as that is the area the where Heart for the City has a commitment. One of the major roles for the Chat House is to provide an environment where individuals or groups struggling with social adjustment could encourage and motivated to take their place as functioning members of the community. | |
 THE IDEA is to create an exciting and invigorating safe and non-threatening environment were the people of Glasgow can meet, discuss, relax, be guided, informed, counselled and be inspired. The concept to fulfilling this vision is to use a Christian coffee shop theme that will spread friendly agenda of love and respect in a transparent, subtly and empowering manner. The approach will take inspiration from the letter of James that encouraged human development through acts of social works, community building and charity. The physical manifestation of this theme/concept would be a place called "The Chat House"; the Chat House is seen as an open and non-denominational forum that offers a pleasant, comfortable and safe environment for the exploration of human ideals and values. In the long term it can be provisioned as a doorway leading to various programs of community service for the Chat House service users. |
The Chat House will be located in the heart of Maryhill. The location of Maryhill is integral to the HFTC long term aspiration of social redevelopment of the City of Glasgow, but more importantly we have already established a strong community base in the area. To achieve the set goals of the Chat House, HFTC will require accessible multi-room, multi-functional premises with parking facility in the heart of Maryhill as well as audio-visual, computing, conference and training material. Our services will be delivered using 6 full-time personnel and 10 part-time/voluntary assistants in the first year rising to 18 part-time/voluntary assistants in the second year and 25 in the third year
The challenges to Maryhill have highlighted the shortcomings of relying only on economic growth to achieve the social development on the Maryhill area. HFTC believe that we can use our brand of social transformation to build and rebuild the capacity of the Maryhill community. We intend to shift the focus to developing human capital, maximizing economic and social participation, strengthening family functioning and building community solidarity.
