Major funding boost for charity that helps thousands of people with additional support needs

A charity that helps thousands of people with additional support needs to live independently has secured a £1.5 million funding injection.

Katie McVey, director of strategy and development at Enable: 'This funding is a welcome boost and allows us to continue our growth journey.' Picture: Gary Doak Photography

Enable - which was established in the 1950s and operates across three “pillars”, Enable Cares, Enable Works and Enable Communities - will be able to extend its social care, employability and community-based services to 2,000 more people thanks to the funding boost from alternative finance provider Social Investment Scotland (SIS).

The charity currently supports more than 11,000 people and recently invested almost £5m in enhanced pay for their social care workforce and in digital innovation. Over the last seven years, Enable has doubled in size and increased its impact significantly, with income growing from £30m to £60m. This rapid growth is said to have reduced the proportionality of the charity’s cash reserves relative to the size of its operation, while it consistently generated “modest” surpluses year on year. It has a team of more than 2,500, making it one of Scotland’s top 40 non-public sector employers.

The funds are part of SIS’s targeted £8.5m community sustainability support package, which was launched late last year to support Scotland’s social enterprise and third sector “through challenging times”. Funding is designed to help with a range of financial requirements including short-term cash flow, large scale projects to increase energy efficiency, initiatives to reduce costs and the development of new income streams.

Chris Jamieson, head of investment at SIS, said: “Enable is a fantastic organisation operating at a national scale, but current financial pressures have impacted its ability to build resilience and continue to grow. Extra funding now puts Enable on the front foot and the charity is in a better place to conquer the ongoing challenges the social care sector faces.”

Katie McVey, director of strategy and development at Enable, added: “With not-for-profit providers having limited options for investment, the opportunity for this loan came at the perfect time. It offers added stability, allowing us to deliver even more vital services to support more people to live independently in the community. This funding is a welcome boost and allows us to continue our growth journey, working with new partners to help increase our impact across the country.”