Strength for the Journey: Letters from the Dick Stewart Project
22 November 2023This year’s theme for Prisoner’s week invites us to listen to people affected by imprisonment who have discovered “strength in their journey”, their support networks and sources of hope and resilience. As part of the week, two residents in our Dick Stewart service wrote a letter about the support they have received in the service and it’s impact on their transition from prison to living in the community.
LETTER 1
The Dick Stewart project has been a tremendous support to me in helping me to transition from long tern incarceration to living in the community. It has been the ideal stepping stone because I had dedicated staff to support me. The staff were always friendly and approachable and were a great source of advice with any issues that I had.
I was in the Dick Stewart for just over a decade and I really enjoyed my time there. It helped me to get back on my feet and build my confidence. I am now in a temporary furnished flat that is owned by the Dick Stewart project and it has been brilliant gaining more independence and learning how to live in my own place. In the Dick Stewart project, it just took a lot of pressure of me and I felt at ease and totally relaxed. I cannot speak any more highly of the place and I have so much gratitude for the staff who helped me in my journey. I have now been in the community for 2 and a half years and I am really enjoying my freedom. I am in a good place and I am going from strength to strength and it is all thanks to the foundations that were laid when I was in the Dick Stewart project.
Yours Sincerely
(Anonymised).
LETTER 2
Dear Sir or Madam,
I am a service user here at the Dick Stewart Project in Glasgow. I cannot praise the staff and facilities here high enough. Sadly I have spent almost the last two decades in prison and witnessed our criminal justice system at first hand, so I fully understand the need for places like the Dick Stewart Project within the community and for guys like me.
The staff are super helpful and supportive which makes any one using the facility automatically feel at ease. They are fully committed to helping people and their families. I personally feel very fortunate to be able to access this facility. The guys here provide me with a safe and stable environment in which I can grow my confidence and learn new skills.
Find out more about Dick Stewart at: www.crossreach.org.uk/our-locations/dick-stewart-service
