Cala Homes transform some of our safe places

Cala Homes Donates Show Home Furniture to Simon Community Scotland: A Transformative Gesture

Recently, Cala Homes West made an extremely generous donation of furniture from one of their show homes. This was on the back of employee fundraising and volunteering, both of which have led to the Cala team having a greater understanding of the safe places, support and hope we are providing for people experiencing homelessness. 

As we have developed our relationship, the Cala Homes team have been extremely thoughtful about how they could support our work.

This thoughtful contribution of show home furniture has significantly impacted our supported accommodation services in multiple ways.

Making a Difference to Supported Accommodation Services

Murray Easton, Head of Fundraising & Communications at Simon Community Scotland, said: “Furniture from Cala Homes has absolutely transformed some of our safe places, creating a more welcoming and comfortable environment for those they support. Many of the people we support are transitioning from difficult circumstances, and having access to high-quality, homely furniture can help provide a sense of stability, dignity, and warmth that is often missing in temporary or emergency housing.”

“The shared spaces are beautiful here, very homey and comfortable.”  W

Murray continued; “This donation has also allowed us to allocate resources more efficiently, redirecting funds that might have been used for furnishing these spaces into other areas such as outreach services, mental health support, and skill-building programs.”

Boosting the Mood of Staff and the People Supported

Clare O’Sullivan, Service Lead for one of our Glasgow Women’s Supported Accommodation Services, said; “The impact of a well-furnished, thoughtfully designed living environment should not be underestimated. For the women we are supporting at Simon Community, having a living space that feels like home can foster a sense of pride, security, and belonging. It sends a powerful message that they are valued and deserve comfort and quality in their surroundings, which can be incredibly uplifting during challenging times.

“I like my room to feel like mine and it’s wee touches like this that make all the difference.” A

Clare continued: “Seeing our workplace transformed into a more pleasant and welcoming environment can also boost morale across the tea,. It helps reinforce the teams sense of purpose and the understanding that their efforts are supported by the wider community. Such donations can invigorate staff, reaffirming commitment to providing compassionate, dignified care.”

Christine Scott, Office Manager for Cala Homes West, said: “Since the Cala Homes West region moved from our office base in Falkirk through to McLellan Works in Glasgow in December 2022,  staff became aware of the number of rough sleepers in Sauchiehall Street and the surrounding area who we were passing every day travelling to and from the office.  Following a conversation with one of our staff who had been involved with supporting rough sleepers the previous winter, we decided we wanted to do something to provide assistance for people who may be at risk and in need of some additional support .  We carried out some research and agreed that Simon Community and the Street Change project were exactly what we were looking for.”

Christine continued; “Initial contact with Kieran Turner at Simon Community led to us setting up a Just Giving page and preparing a QR code to put on the tables at our staff Christmas Lunch to allow staff to make donations to the project.  This then led to Kieran and Murray coming along and speaking at one of our staff business updates to provide more information about the work of the project and Simon Community and this in turn resulted in the Cala West region being able to source and provide the paint and some equipment to freshen up one of the supported accommodation units.  Further conversation between myself, Kaye McFall and the Cala West Sales team then grew into us being able to provide the show home furniture for the Women’s Services accommodation.” 

Summarising, Christine said; “We never anticipated that a chat over coffee would grow into such a valuable exercise and the whole of Cala Homes West are extremely pleased that we’ve been able to provide this valuable contribution to supporting Murray, Kaye and Simon Community as a whole create homely environments for the Supported Accommodation Services and the people who use it.”

A Community United by Compassion

Our vision is that everyone deserves a safe place to live and access to the support they need. We are delighted that Cala Homes generous donation has made such an immediate and meaningful difference to our environment, team and people we support, helping us to provide safe places, support and hope to people experiencing homelessness.

If your company could support our work through a partnership, fundraising, pro bono work or the donation of clothing or items to help make our safe places as welcoming and as homely as possible, please email hello@simonscotland.org