It was a clear message from John Swinney who says the service “transforms lives”.
The charity – which has run a community cafe since 2015 and aims to provide young people with additional support needs with training and development towards SVQ qualifications – in the former Townhead Church building has come under pressure financially over the last few months.
The Inspired Community Enterprise Trust (ICET), which runs the Usual Place, has had to make 12 members of staff redundant to try and balance the books.
However, the group has since been handed a £100k funding boost through the South of Scotland Enterprise.
And Mr Swinney this week confirmed he will do what he can to help secure the long-term future of the charity.
At his visit on Tuesday morning, the First Minister said: “I’m full of admiration for the work that goes on at the Usual Place. When this issue was raised to myself at First Minister Questions by members of parliament, I was concerned.
“This project transforms lives so we’ve got to find ways how it can continue to do that. The purpose of my visit was to engage with the Usual Place, hear about the challenges and to go away with a sense of what the government and other public authorities can do to secure the future.
“South of Scotland Enterprise has made available £100k to provide some early financial sustainability and I really welcome that.
“I’ve got to look at how we can support and finance other ways of ensuring the sustainability of the Usual Place.”
And Mr Swinney has committed to making sure the Usual Place has a “secure future”.
The First Minister added: “I’ve got to find a financially sustainable way to do that. It can’t all come from the government expenditure.
“What we can do is play a constructive role like working with the community, working with the Usual Place and Dumfries and Galloway College.
“My message to the staff is to remain very focused. This is a lovely organisation that is contributing much to enhancing the lives of individuals. I encourage people in the area to use The Usual Place. I will do what I can to help out.”
A cross-party group of MSPs – Colin Smyth, Emma Harper and Oliver Mundell – had raised the issue with the local council and South Scotland Enterprise Agency (SOSE). They met with Shirley-Anne Sommerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, and Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance, to press the case for support.
And after Tuesday’s meeting, Mr Smyth said: “I am really proud of the way the young people at the Usual Place showed the First Minister during his visit just how much their lives have been transformed by this amazing place.
“They were really inspirational and Mr Swinney was left in no doubt how vital this project is for the many young people who have benefited.
“The Usual Place aren’t asking for preferential treatment, they are just asking for fairness. They fall through the gaps because they cover education and training and don’t fit neatly into the archaic funding streams.
“It is little wonder that the disability employment gap is so consistently higher in Dumfries and Galloway than elsewhere in Scotland.
“There is a clear plan from the trustees to effectively make the Usual Place thrive and become self-sufficient, but that will need a modest amount of support over the next three years to fully deliver.”
And despite the short-term funding news, Mr Smyth has warned the First Minister that the “clock is still ticking”.
“We have been able to secure some short term funding from South of Scotland Enterprise which will keep the doors open for a few months. But it’s now over to the Scottish Government and Dumfries and Galloway Council to deliver the support needed to keep the Usual Place open and thriving. I’ll certainly keep pressing them until they do.”
