Haven Centre in Highlands in £136k funding wrangle with Scottish Government
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A pioneering centre for young people with complex needs in the Highlands has received a devastating blow after being told it will not receive expected funding from the Scottish Government.
The Haven Centre in Inverness was officially opened amid great fanfare last August.
As Scotland's first purpose-built centre of its kind, featuring play facilities, a community café, respite suites and a garden, it took 10 years and £4.8 million to achieve.
But it is still awaiting the final sum of £136,544 from the Scottish Government which had pledged up to £1.75 million.
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The project has been led by the Elsie Normington Foundation whose founder is urging the government to change its mind while Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has described it as "inexcusable" and is seeking an urgent meeting with children and young people's minister Natalie Don.
Chairperson Elsie Normington felt the charity had been let down after it received a letter stating the Scottish Government would not pay the final amount as it was "outwith the grant period".
"This project has been such a wonderful example of community support and this is now a devastating blow to our charity," she said.
"We have been asking the government for this money for some time.
"I have given 11 years of my voluntary time to see this project built, as have hundreds of other people and the government have now let us down at the last lap.
"I do sincerely hope they will change their mind."
She said it had taken 10 years of lobbying, public speaking and fundraising to secure £4.8 million to build the specialist centre in Murray Road.
The construction had gone ahead on the funding pledges and the centre was opened in August 2023 by Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch SNP MSP Kate Forbes.
Mrs Normington said all 16 funders paid their pledges except the final grant from Scottish Government despite the charity requesting the funding for several months.
"We are very upset about this but I am still hopeful we can get it," she said.
"It is a lot of money we are talking about.
"We were expecting to have this in the bank to keep things going.
"If they don't give us this, we are going to run out of money."
She said the money was needed for things such as running costs and maintenance on the state-of-the-art building.
She queried whether the length of time taken for the Edinburgh tram project had impacted on its funding.
Other funders include the Scotland National Lottery Community Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council plus community support.
The Haven Centre aims to provide an inclusive community space where children and young people with profound and multiple learning disabilities have opportunities to have fun, play, socialise and develop.
It also has three badly-needed respite flats for young adults up to the age of 30.
Mrs Normington said it was already making a huge difference to children and families, who often feel a sense of isolation, while the community café was bringing in people from the local area.
"It is a happy picture apart from the funding," Mrs Normington said.
Mrs Grant said Mrs Normington had stepped forward to provide a much-needed service for the Highlands.
"She has fundraised tirelessly and managed the project from start to finish," she said.
"As the project has reached completion, it’s inexcusable that the Scottish Government is now withholding the remaining funding given that they should have built the centre themselves in the first place.
"The Elsie Normington Foundation stepped in due to government failure.
"That government is now adding insult to injury in withholding the funding it promised. It is a wholly unacceptable situation and I have asked for an urgent meeting with the minister in a bid to sort this out."
Ms Forbes said she had supported the Haven Centre for several years and was pleased so many children and young people were benefitting from the modern, caring facility.
"This issue of funding is one I have raised several times over the past year with minister Natalie Don, due to its complexity," she added.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "The Haven Centre provides valuable support for disabled young people and their parents and carers. That is why the Scottish Government provided £1.61 million between 2021 and 2023 to support construction of the new centre.
"The Elsie Normington Foundation confirmed in April 2023 that their costs had been met and they did not require the final sum to complete the build.
"We later received a separate request for further capital funding after further costs were incurred but given the challenging financial landscape, it was not possible to support this additional request."
