Councillor Alison Dickie met with the people benefiting from the support on at offer the Futures community hub when she visited the facility in Edinburgh’s Southside.

At Futures, the team from Edinburgh homeless charity Gowrie Care provides a drop in hub in Gilmour Street for people who have experience of, or are at risk of, homelessness.

Councillor Dickie said: “Around this ward and city, there are too many lonely people and especially those who have experienced, or are experiencing, homelessness.

“Somewhere to call home is not just about a roof over your head, it’s also about the support and confidence to live independently and to move forward with life.

“Homelessness strips people of that confidence and the Futures community hub is a well needed space in the heart of the Southside where people can share experiences and build friendships, skills and the self-belief required.”

Futures works with people to overcome isolation and better prepare themselves to maintain their own tenancy.

The project tackles the issues the clients face through a range of activities including cooking on a budget, tenancy skills, decorating your home, budgeting, confidence building and recreational activities.

Jack Bromly, a Futures client, said: “The team at Futures has really helped me to build my confidence to the point that I feel that I can start to move forward in life.

“The team prepared me for moving into my own flat and I enjoyed learning to decorate, upcycling furniture and getting better at cooking.

“I want to thank both Andrew and Ruth for their support, which has inspired me to get into college and study social work.”

In July, Futures received £100K of National Lottery cash to help more homeless people in Edinburgh.

Graeme Brown, Gowrie Care area manager, said: “We were delighted to receive this essential funding which will mean that people who are homeless or at the risk of homelessness in Edinburgh will get the support they need to move forward in life.

“Last year we worked with and supported 88 people and we can now aim to increase this to 125 by the end 2017.”

Gowrie Care was just one of twenty Scottish organisations to benefit from £4.5 million of Big Lottery Fund cash when the funding was announced earlier this year.