Scotland’s only dedicated drug and alcohol crisis centre could be forced to close within weeks, after its charity operator warned that “aggressive” rent increases from its council owned landlord have left the service in an impossible position.

Turning Point Scotland has delivered two addiction services in Glasgow on behalf of the city council for more than 30 years. Together, the drug and alcohol crisis centre and a nearby 16 bed residential unit have supported thousands of people through some of the most dangerous moments of their lives.

Now both are under threat. The charity says Glasgow City Property, the arm’s length body that manages the council’s buildings, is doubling the rent on the crisis centre from £65,000 to £131,000 a year when a new lease begins. Confirmation of costs for the residential unit is still awaited, adding further uncertainty to an already precarious situation.

Turning Point chief executive Neil Richardson said he has worked with leasing arrangements across the country for years but has “never seen such commercially aggressive behaviour” from a local authority landlord. He warned that without a resolution, staff could enter formal consultation on winding down the service within days.

A Service Under Growing Pressure

The addiction crisis service in question is far from quiet. Over the past three years it has handled 3,650 referrals, and demand has continued to climb over the last twelve months alone. The centre operates around the clock, offering a needle exchange, wound care, group support and intensive one to one help, alongside sensory rooms and communal spaces designed to make people feel safe rather than judged.

The financial strain follows an earlier blow. Last year, Turning Point was billed £806,000 by Glasgow City Property after closing a separate residential centre for women in the criminal justice system, a facility it says it had to shut in 2024 following budget cuts. Richardson said the size of the bill, which he claims included costs linked to the structure of the building itself, was never what he expected when delivering a service on behalf of the council.

The Human Cost of Closure

Behind the figures are people whose lives have been transformed by the support on offer. Rena, now 57, spent more than four decades battling drug addiction. This time last year she weighed five stone and had only five teeth left. “I just wanted to die,” she said. “I was just praying I wouldn’t wake up because I couldn’t face another day doing what I was doing.”

She credits the staff at the crisis centre with listening to her “for the first time in a long time”. Rena now volunteers at the service, has rebuilt relationships with her family and recently went on holiday, something she says would once have been unthinkable.

Gerry, 50, arrived at the residential centre eighteen months ago after several suicide attempts, seeing “no way out”. He has now been clean for eight months. “Now I’ve got a chance to build a life for myself,” he said, adding that closure of services like this would only deepen an already devastating problem. “There’s a ripple effect on family, on friends, who are left to pick up the pieces.”

Scotland’s Wider Drugs Crisis

The dispute comes against a bleak national backdrop. Scotland continues to record the worst drug death rate in Europe, and Glasgow has the highest rate within Scotland itself. Earlier this year, the Scottish Government and councils published a joint long term plan aimed at reducing both drug and alcohol deaths, including a commitment to removing barriers to services such as those run by Turning Point.

Health Secretary Angela Constance said she was “very concerned” about the situation and aware of the “good work” the charity carries out, though she described it as a dispute at a local level. She confirmed that public health minister Maree Todd had written to Glasgow City Council urging a resolution and had suggested independent mediation.

“If we want to save and improve lives, we need to be very focused on access to care and treatment that is bespoke to each individual,” Constance said, adding that every effort should be made locally to find a solution that works for everyone, particularly those relying on the service.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership, which funds the service, said discussions with Turning Point were ongoing “about how we can find a resolution that allows the continuation of service provision.” Glasgow City Property said it could not comment on lease details due to commercial sensitivity but said it remained in regular contact with the charity about possible solutions.

Time Running Out

For now, the future of the drug and alcohol crisis centre, and the wider addiction crisis service it forms part of, hangs in the balance. With a decision expected within days, those watching closely know that for people like Rena and Gerry, access to timely, trusted support can be the difference between recovery and tragedy.

Source: dbrecoveryresources