A REDDITCH charity which helps hundreds of families every year is at risk of closure if it does not raise £70,000 by August.
Home-Start supported more than 350 families last year but will be forced to close its doors despite referrals to the organisation rising due to cuts in other services across the region.
Volunteers at the charity are concerned for the welfare of vulnerable families in the area.
Manager Karen Jones said: “We are desperate. The people who use our services will be devastated if we close our doors and it will have a massive impact in the wider community.”
The organisation was funded by Worcestershire County Council, Redditch Borough Council and Bromsgrove District Council but this ceased in November 2015, and their Lottery grant runs out in August.
The team are looking at other funding options including working with other local charities and teaming up with local universities to complete mental health research projects, but the timescale for the funding to come through is very tight.
“We support parents and children who are in situations as diverse as depression, bereavement, debt, housing issues, domestic abuse, alcohol and substance abuse and disability,” said Karen.
“We are not the authorities, and I think that makes people more inclined to trust and open up to us. We are then able to tailor our support to each person’s individual needs much more quickly.”
For 27 years Home-Start North East Worcestershire has helped the most vulnerable families across Redditch and Bromsgrove working in partnership with Health, Social Services, Education and Early Help.
Volunteer and trustee Michele Beevers said: “The centre provides a vital crutch for people in times of need, and if it is taken away, a lot of them will fall. Who is going to be there to pick them up?
“Redditch is one of the most deprived areas in the country. Without services like ours, people will fall at the wayside.”
For more information or to support Home-Start call 01527 62819 or e-mail [email protected]
