Project Manager:  Ann Dickson

Who are you?

My name is Ann Dickson and I am a Unit Manager within Edinburgh.  I manage two units: one in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, this is a short term project where tenants can stay for up to six months; the second is an accommodation unit for 10 adults and 5 older adults, these include permanent tenancies and five resettlement flats.

My job is to manage the unit and develop teams.  This involves looking at what training is required to ensure a good quality service, together with taking responsibility for budgets and developing a project plan with tenants/service users.

Before starting as the assistant manager in Oxgangs in 2002, I had worked in a number of different areas of the homeless sector:

  • I worked as an advice worker with ECSH (Extra Care Sheltered Housing).
  • I have worked within the Cowgate Night Centre.
  • I was a Prisons housing officer; working in Her Majesties Prison Edinburgh, Cortonvale and Polmont.
     

How long have you been part of the Gowrie Care team?

I have worked for Gowrie Care since the merger with Old Town Housing Association in 2004.

What excites you about your job?

I love what I do, everyday is different; there are new challenges in every aspect of my job.  I get the opportunity to meet and work with so many different people from all walks of life.  I love being part of an organization that is so intent in providing a good quality service to all.

Together with this, I have two excellent teams, excellent peer support and good organisational support.

Rewarding aspects of working for Gowrie Care

There are a number of rewards for me:

  • Seeing a project flourish and staff develop
  • Knowing that through hard work and development the staff confidently offer the best service available
  • Seeing the look on a service user's face when they realise that you are willing to support them through some of the hardest times- watching service users achieve their goals.
     

Specifically the Dryden Street project has been very rewarding.  There we have developed an environment that has truly benefited tenants: we now have a garden area; a vegetable patch; we offer both indoor and outdoor activities; and we also offer organised key work sessions.  Together with this, tenants take an active role in the development of the unit and the development of the staff team.

At Oxgangs, it is rewarding watching the staff confidently deliver the best possible service to individuals who often believe they have no where left to turn.  The staff put a tremendous amount of effort into ensuring that everyone who moves on from our services is given the best start possible.