Welcome to Ark

Please take some time to look at how we are working to deliver positive outcomes for our people, our tenants and those in our care.

About Ark

Everything we do is with our head and heart

We know our community, we make informed decisions every day that have a positive impact on people’s lives, and we do it with pride and compassion.

Come and work with us!

You will go home every day knowing you have made a positive difference to the lives of our customers – it’s what we do.

Vacancies

Change of Head Office Company address

We moved office on 8th July 2024 - our new address is Ground Floor West Suite, Lochside House, 3 Lochside Way Edinburgh Park, Edinburgh EH12 9DT. Our telephone contact number remains unchanged - 0131 447 9027

Repairs - Emergency Call Out Numbers

If you have an EMERGENCY in your home during the evenings, weekends or during the Christmas period, please use the number below

Emergency Contact Numbers

Ark's History

Ark was established in Edinburgh on 9th February 1977 by a small group of parishioners from Morningside Baptist Church led by Rev. Peter Bowes. These founders were responding to the needs of one parishioner with learning difficulties, who wanted to live in a house with support, in their own community.

The stated aim was ‘to provide the best possible accommodation at the most economical cost, without creating surroundings which were institutional in either appearance or atmosphere’. It had a target of providing 200 places within the first two years.

This was an expansive and significant vision in 1970s Britain, when many people with learning difficulties were still being accommodated in large Victorian institutions, separated from the rest of society for indefinite periods of time.

This practical expression of the founding members’ passion for justice, equality and humanity remains at the core of what Ark does today. It pre-dated by 20 years the closure programme of large Scottish institutions such as Gogarburn and Lennox Castle, and it created the momentum for families to consider an alternative for their loved ones.

All of us at Ark today share the same passion as the founding members; we are committed to improving the lives of our customers and the communities in which they live and to safeguard the rights and aspirations of people who require care and support.