About ILS
Independent Living Support (ILS) is unique to Dumfries and Galloway.
Providing outreach services to vulnerable people in Dumfries & Galloway
Resilience for our local communities…
Our main offices are based on George Street Meuse in Dumfries with community outreach in the surrounding areas.
Over the last twenty years Independent Living Support (ILS) has provided support services in response to the people we serve. Historically, ILS is one of the first services to address fuel poverty and housing support. For seven years ILS delivered a highly successful housing support service on behalf of Dumfries & Galloway Council and have now gone onto a successful Registered Social Landlord project called My Great Start which aims to target new tenants that are at risk of homelessness. ILS work closely with many agencies in this project & have a wealth of in-house knowledge.
Our staff are very experienced in a variety of health and social care settings; we specialise in some very challenging mental health issues such as addiction, lived trauma, youth and adult lived care experience, supporting people through significant social isolation and confidence challenges affecting their ability to find work or go onto further education. We pride ourselves on offering meaningful, life changing support to encourage people to live as independently as possible, and moving on them on to become empowered to move their lives forward.
Our current services are:
- ILS Youth service – consistently funded by The Holywood Trust and The Robertson Trust this successful service blends holistic one-to-one support and bi-monthly group work activities for people aged 13 to 25 years.
- Housing sustainment. ILS work across the region targeting those at risk of homelessness. ILS have experienced staff and many years of knowledge. ILS have a project called My Great Start which partners with Wheatley Foundation and other local Registered Social Landlords to help those most at risk.
- Peer Support – since 2021 we have introduced a peer support ethos into ILS. We facilitate a range of peer support groups to allow people with similar circumstances to meet, share experiences and develop friendships in a safe environment. We also provide “Peer-to-Peer training.” A twelve week programme for people with lived trauma who would like to use those experiences to help support others. Many of our graduates have moved onto volunteering, employment and further education opportunities.
On our referrals page you will find a referral form and we will publish whether our services are open for referrals. We encourage people to refer themselves, please give us as much information as you can on the referral form.
We are registered with the Care Inspectorate our most recent report can be accessed from:
The Care Inspectorate
Compass House
11 Riverside Drive
Dundee
DD1 4NY
Tel: 0345 600 9527
