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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

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Unity Centre to close after 17 years

 

The collective-run group will shut at the end of the year.

A Glasgow-based organisation that works with refugees and asylum seekers has announced it is to close after 17 years of work. 

The Unity Centre, based in Ibrox, has confirmed to its supporters that it will be closing at the end of December this year. 

The decision to close the centre has been made through a series of meetings and reflections by elders, former members and the current collective team. 

Discussions began as far back as last year about the potential for closure. 

Run completely by a collective of volunteers and funded entirely by donations from supporters, the centre provides practical solidarity and support for asylum seekers especially when they face being locked up in detention centres or being forcibly removed.

Since it opened in 2006 over 2,800 families have registered with the Unity Centre and they have helped over one hundred families return to safety in Glasgow after they have been detained by the Home Office - whose offices are just 100 metres from the Unity Centre.

In a statement posted on social media, the group posted: “Unity has been open since 2006, and through all these years, the office and the space have offered invaluable assistance whilst championing the cause for No Borders. 

“Most importantly, the support of all our volunteers, collective members and contributors has helped us to keep the office open to support our community. The Centre has been run by the Unity Centre Collective and volunteers, with no paid staff. This has been an outstanding achievement to have sustained all through these years.

“Much can be said about the work that we have done, including being one of the very few Centres that was opened during the lockdown period. We supported the most vulnerable people and those placed in the hotels. We welcome you to check out some of the projects that our former team members had put together that highlight some of our work.

"The current collective wants to thank everyone involved in Unity throughout the centre's history.”

 

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