Kendal charity for homeless and vulnerable under threat (From The Westmorland Gazette)
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Kendal charity for homeless and vulnerable under threat
4:01pm Friday 3rd September 2010 in
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- By Emma Lidiard » Reporter
THE future of a South Lakeland charity for homeless and vulnerable people is threatened by public spending cuts.
Supported housing provider Stonham, which has helped scores of people find shelter and work, has been told it is losing its guaranteed grant.
Funding had been ringfenced by Cumbria County Council but in future the Kendal charity will have to compete for cash along with other services.
Manager Andrea Lockett said: “We know they need to save £1.5 million within the next year.
"We are trying to make savings – delivering the same service for less – but every time you do quality is lost.
“All that many people need is to have the opportunity and the right kind of support and they can make big changes in their lives, changes that can benefit the community.
"It makes human sense and financial sense.
“Our services are under threat from the imminent cuts in public spending, but people need to be aware of the impact we and services like ours have on people and on society and see the bigger picture with regard to spending.
“We save a fortune by helping people to get their lives back on track and by giving them back a stake in their community. Everyone benefits.”
A county council spokesman said: “No decision has been made yet on any service providers but we are in a position where reductions in funding will be passed down to us and it is our job to get the best value for money while continuing to maintain the excellent level of service.”
Westmorland and Lonsdale MP Tim Farron, said: “It is very very important that, through our savings, we don’t throw the babies out with bath water.
"Stonham do an outstanding job and actually save the tax payer a lot of money through the work they do.”
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andrewcharles says...
4:51pm Fri 3 Sep 10
The outcome of such commitment is apparent within the lives of many of their clients who have moved on and left behind problems related to drugs, alcohol and associated problems, any organisation that is able to turn a persons life around should be allocated whatever funds that are necessary for this most difficult task. Now, many former clients are a credit to the very society that had often in the past shunned them, how can this turn around of an individuals life have a price put upon it, the simple answer is no.
The staff at Stonham welcome individuals who have a desire to bring positive change into their lives and should be able to provide these individuals with recognition of their desire for change, a task that can only be made more difficult to achieve where finances are cut, as a former client I find such cuts in a vital service to be quite diplorable and even find difficulty to see where any cuts made would not impact terribly upon the clients, the end users, the ones whose decision to seek change should be rewarded and not of financial consideration, it is not as if there is are any resources that are not value for money as far as spending is concerned, these possible cuts represent little more than an absolute disservice to they who are desparate to do something worthwhile with their lives. Without the services of Stonham I and many others would not be where we are now, thankful and outraged that such cuts would even be considered.