A Legacy of Hope

Two local charities which have supported thousands of individuals and families through some of their darkest days should be celebrating a combined 80 years serving our communities.

But in September 2025 DACA and Alternatives learned the difficult news that after tendering for their core funding from West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership, it was awarded to WithYou, a national charity with no previous presence in the area.

So, at a time when they should be celebrating decades of life changing work, their focus has been on the smooth transition of staff, volunteers and the people who access their services, to the new provider.

Lasting Footprints

But the 50 and 30 year community footprints of these two organisations will be visible far beyond their anniversary landmarks.

For DACA it will be seen in the 302 volunteer counsellors trained and supervised over the past 50 years and in the 100+ local people employed by the charity since it first secured funding in 1986.

Counsellors at DACA delivered nearly 4,000 free 1-1 counselling sessions last year resulting in positive outcomes for 75% of people who used their service.

Alternatives boast similarly impressive numbers, supporting 1,200 people to maintain an abstinent lifestyle, over 1,500 into education and training, and more than 250 into employment, since their doors opened in 1995.

Each of these numbers represents an individual who found their own legacy of hope when they walked through the open doors of these two charities. These will never be forgotten.

A welcoming smile, a warm drink and someone willing to listen - the ingredients were simple, yet the difference they made to so many local peopleʼs lives is probably immeasurable.

Their value is clear to see in the many comments left on DACAʼs Facebook page - a few of which are republished below with DACAʼs permission:

“Thank you..Iʼd be lost without your help and the advice you have given…made me a stronger person..love to you all.”

“...you have helped so many people and been a lifeline to so many…”

“I was one of the fortunate 75%. I owe DACA the shirt on my back.”

Changing Lives

And it is also apparent in the lives of people like Kate Hamill. She shared how both DACA and Alternatives not only helped her move on in her own recovery but also provided opportunities where she could help others.

In 2006 she was accepted on to the innovative Intermediate Labour Market (ILM) pilot programme.

It was the first employability project of its kind in West Dunbartonshire, providing paid employment, training and work placements supporting people in recovery to become health and social care workers.

Kate explained: “I had already levelled myself out by then but I didnʼt know what to do with my life. I had come home and was finding it hard to get employment.

“Although I was sober I was terrified to apply for a job or even think about what I could do. Then DACA gave me a chance.

“This job with DACA gave me confidence and skills, it let me believe that I could have a career. I then went on to expand on this with Alternatives.

“I started at the bottom and worked my way up. That job was just the beginning of my career.”

Over the next two decades Kate worked for both charities and West Dunbartonshireʼs Alcohol and Drug Partnership, she also sat on the Board of both DACA & Alternatives.

“The help he gives changes lives, and this is why it is good that he is recognised for the work, especially being a local man in this community.”

Although now retired she is still a volunteer Board member with Alternatives.

“I have seen so many service users come through those doors and they are lost, distraught. They have been stuck and isolated for so many years because of the alcohol or drugs - or both. They donʼt know what to do with their lives even when they do get sober.

“Going into Alternativesʼ Safe as Houses or counselling with DACA and then volunteering perhaps with Alternativesʼ Sweet Success Cafe or Skylark - that gives them a different outlook on life, they start believing in themselves and feel like they can do something.

“Within a few years they are just getting on with life, they have a career, a family and theyʼre moving on with their life.

“I would never have had the life Iʼve had these past 20 years if it wasnʼt for DACA and Alternatives.”

Ripple Effect

So many readers will recognise the ripple effect of these two charities - not only on the individuals but on their families and wider community.

Anne Dyer, depute manager of Alternatives, has been with the organisation for the past 22 years. She recalled how the charity was founded by a small group of local women supported by local Councillor Margaret McGregor.

Anne said: “The charity grew because there was a need here in West Dunbartonshire, initially it was around raves and the use of drugs like ecstasy and acid and overtime this evolved as different drugs were being used.

“One of the good things about being a small third sector charity rooted in our community is that we have been able to adapt quickly to support local need.

“And over the years weʼve become much more than a drug service; we support people to take those first steps finding out who they are without substances. They do this alongside others who understand their story because theyʼve been down that path themselves.

Although the loss of funding means Alternatives will no longer be providing their core group work programme, they are still supporting local people affected by drugs.

Their Safe as Houses project will continue to provide “a 24/7 safety net” in the form of supported accommodation at the start of someoneʼs recovery journey.

They also run a very successful family support work project which is continuing.

“That is where we started and it has developed over the years,” said Anne.

“Now weʼre able to offer therapeutic initiatives, small classes and groups for family members.

“Often families and partners just need someone to hear them and then, when the time is right for them, they go into a small group with others in a similar position. Together they recognise how their lives have been affected by addiction and how to regain some control.”

Their Dumbarton office also hosts Rocks in the Storm, a weekly family bereavement group, which has been responsible for awareness-raising campaigns lighting up familiar landmarks like the Titan Crane in remembrance of lives lost to addiction.

And for the many people ready to move on in their recovery, Alternatives will continue to offer a pathway of supported volunteering and employment opportunities via the varied social enterprises it helped establish across West Dunbartonshire.

Their community cafes – Sweet Success in Dumbartonʼs Concord Centre, Perfect Blend in the Denny Tank Museum and the recently acquired Dalmuir Family Hub - will continue to provide hospitality training opportunities for people with lived experience.

These community venues were all closed prior to Alternativesʼ involvement and have been given a new lease of life thanks to micro grants and donations.

One trainee commented: “Sweet Success Café really is the best place. I have learned loads and the team are so good at helping each other. My family are proud of my achievements and that makes me happy."

New Ways of Life

And Skylark IX Trust and Knowetop SCIO, supported by Alternatives to get off the ground, are both places where people in recovery can embark on a journey of self-discovery, exploring new skills and ways of life, as they learn about heritage and boat-making with Skylark or try outdoor and gardening activities up at Knowetop.

Anne said: “We are proud of our involvement with both organisations, theyʼve been supportive learning environments for our recovery community, but we donʼt want to hang on to them.

“They will grow and develop as stand-alone organisations - thatʼs also part of our legacy of investing in people and in our community.

“We take a Community Development approach to moving people on from addiction and celebrating every stage of that growth so they can see the change for themselves.

“Weʼre like a big family, many of the people weʼve supported over the years come back to us because they want to help others in recovery and they understand what theyʼre going through.

“A lot of our colleagues have been through the whole process with us and then they go on to work with other organisations - local and national. “Weʼre really proud of our charity and the lives it has touched.”

Grateful for Connections

Sadly, DACAʼs future is less certain as their core work since being established in 1976 was the 1-1 free counselling service.

DACA CEO Mags Mackenzie, summed up what the loss of funding meant for her and her team: “Working at DACA over the last nine years has been a massive privilege, and I've been inspired every day by the resilience and humanity of our clients.

“We wanted to mirror those positive qualities as we navigated the painful end of DACA's 50 year-long community alcohol service, and I've been really proud of my colleagues' conduct throughout this period.

“DACA has community at its heart, and we'll always be grateful for the connections we made over the decades, and for the wonderful memories, which will stay with us forever.”

Anyone interested in volunteering with Alternatives, in need of their Family Support Service or Safe As Houses can contact their Dumbarton office on 01389 734500, email [email protected] or pop into 1/3 Quay Street, Dumbarton G82 1LG.

To contact WithYou email westdunbartonshire@wearewithyou. org.uk or call 08006521997

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