About Us
Sighthill
Community One Stop Shop
The concept of Sighthill Community
One Stop Shop (SCOSS) originated from local people in Sighthill in response to the
high-profile negative media atttention given to the area in August 2001.
Firsat Dag, a Turkish asylum seeker, was attacked and fatally wounded on his way
home to Sighthill. Although those who murdered Firsat were not from Sighthill
and the attack did not occur there it put Sighthill into the centre of sensationalist
reporting on asylum seekers, and issues of violence, intolerance and racism were
brought to the fore. Those events highlighted
for the local community the lack of infrastructure, resources and community facilities
and services available
to them. They became the catalyst to unite the Sighthill community to work together
to oppose the negative media reports and to
make a difference in their community.
At the height of the difficulties
an anti-racist, anti-poverty march from Sighthill to George Square was organised
by local people in Sighthill to demonstrate the desire of the local community for
people from all sections of Sighthill to walk together and work together for a common
purpose. Over 2,000 people participated in the march.
The idea was developed, then, to
provide a "One Stop Shop" for information and advice for everyone in Sighthill - long-standing residents, relatively new re-located
residents, asylum seekers and refugees. It involves the refurbishment of
a derelict supermarket and reclaiming it to be used as a community facility.
SCOSS currently delivers its service
from an office on the fifth floor of Fountainwell Square. Staff are on hand
to give advice and information and there are eight organisations currenlty
using the space to meet with clients.
SCOSS provides information,
advice and support for everyone. In the new premises it will ultimately be open
from 9 a.m. until
10 p.m. providing a programmed diary of daily events through the advice and information
clinics operating from SCOSS. Such clinics will include:
Legal advice & specialist immigration
advice;
Health, family and baby clinics,
including family planning;
Glasgow Refugee Information Project;
Careers advice;
Credit Union access;
A contact point for statutory
agencies;
Food Co-op.
The Shop will also operate a community
café
serving breakfast, teas & coffees, lunches and dinners. It will provide good
quality food at value for money prices, Offering opportunities for social and cultural
integration through sharing meals and food.
It will also provide a place for
recreation and socialising through the clubs and activities delivered there. These
will include Drama & Dance; Music; Children's Discos; Language Classes;
and a Digital Connectivity Zone, provided by BT Scotland and Microsoft, offering access to information about learning.
SCOSS will be a place for everyone
in Sighthill. It will deliver services and activities which currently are not provided
for. It will provide additional services which local people will be able to request.
It will be that first place in Sighthill where people will go to for help, information
and advice and where they will find friendship, support and assistance.
Where to find us?
Map
SCOSS anticipate that the newly refurbished community facility, which will include
the BT/Microsoft Digital Connectivity Zone, will open for business in the
summer of
2007. Until then we continue to provide an advisory service to the community
from the flat at 5/6 6 Fountainwell Square.. We
are open Monday to Thursday 9:00
am 'til 5:00 pm and Friday 9:00 am 'til 3:00 am.
We can provide information, support and advice from statutory, community and voluntary
service providers.