Home-Start Wolverhampton facing closure in funding shortfall to shock of staff and families

Home-Start Wolverhampton has been forced to prepare for closure after struggling to secure up to £60,000 of funding.

It means the charity will no longer be able to lend a helping hand to hundreds of people in need across Wolverhampton each year.

What is Home-Start?

Thousands of residents with children under five have turned to Home-Start Wolverhampton since its launch in 2003.

The service has helped families with problems arising at times of crisis and bereavement, as well as with issues including mental health problems, disabilities, budgeting and day-to-day running of the household.

A five-year cash pot from the National Lottery ran out in April, with the team operating on 'reserves' for the past three months.

But volunteers and staff have been unable to secure any further funding, with closing now their only option.

Staff voice fears over closure

Senior coordinator Michelle Hansell said she was worried desperate families shying away from council and social services would now fail to ask for help.

The 45-year-old, who is set to lose her job, added: "It's going to be awful. A lot of families are quite reluctant to use statutory services.

"The fear is the most vulnerable families who have had their barriers up and are quite scared of accessing statutory services, they are going to slip through the net."

Miss Hansell, who has been with the service for the past decade, said: "Unfortunately, there are not enough funders to approach and even if we did, we are not going to get the funds in time to stay open.

"Everyone is after the same pot of money. Home-Start Wolverhampton is quite small. Wolverhampton sort of gets missed."

What could closure mean for other services in the city?

Last year Home-Start Wolverhampton supported 123 people, including 33 families and 75 children.

There will be two job losses when the hub, based in All Saints Road, closes on September 28.

A 25-strong team of volunteers and management committee will also be forced to give up their roles.

A celebration lunch and presentation will take place for families, current and former volunteers, and others linked to the service at The ASAN Workspace from 1pm until 3pm on September 1.

Miss Hansell said the closure - which will come just weeks after the service's 15th anniversary - is expected to put pressure on other agencies for families in need in Wolverhampton.

The Finchfield resident added: "I can imagine that their case loads are going to rocket, basically because there's nowhere else for families to be referred to."

"It is heartbreaking, that's why we are going to have a celebration day. September 1 will be exactly 15 years from when we first opened and I don't want to leave on a low.

"We have to celebrate the fact that we have been here for a long time."

What has Home-Start Wolverhampton said?

Harjinder Singh, chair of trustees, added: "Home-Start Wolverhampton have been supporting families for 15 years, in that time we have helped hundreds of families, without any statutory funding.

"It is a challenging financial and funding environment across the charity sector and sadly a lack of funding means the trustees of Home-Start have been forced to take the decision to close the charity.

"We want to thank all of the volunteers, supporters and advocates of Home-Start Wolverhampton and say we are deeply sad and sorry that it has come to this end.”

"In the period before closure staff and trustees are working to protect and support the vulnerable families we are supporting, focusing efforts on working with other statutory and voluntary organisations to find continuing support for these families."