A CENTRE which has seen 800 people since January for problems including domestic abuse, mental health and low confidence, is in danger of closing unless it finds £50,000.
Pathways Family Support Centre, based at Peel Parade, has helped thousands of people since it opened in 1994.
Up until the end of last year it had been funded almost entirely by the council. But the contract was tendered to another organisation and the funding ceased.
Pathways has been running on a Lottery grant which will soon run out. It is trying to raise £50,000 to give it enough time to apply for more funding.
Derrick Thompson, counselling service manager, said Pathways could not apply for another Lottery grant until its current grant had run out, but he said it was a complicated procedure which would take time.
He said: “If we do not get any extra funding we will close in August. We are currently working on a Lottery grant which runs out in August and when that has gone, that will be it.
“We’ve put a crowdfunding page together hoping to raise money. To reapply for a grant will take time, several months, and the £50,000 we’re asking for will give us enough time to submit another Lottery bid.”
Derrick said although Pathways had originally been set up as a domestic abuse charity, nobody has ever been turned away. If possible, it helps people with all kinds of other issues.
“With a lot of our clients it’s historical abuse, they are still dealing with emotional traumas from past relationships. But we also see people with mental health issues, other forms of abuse, we never turn anyone down.
“We are a local charity and a lot of our staff members come from Barnsley so we’re invested in helping people in our locality.
“We’ve got 30 volunteer counsellors working for us, we put on support groups around educating people about understanding domestic abuse, self esteem and confidence building classes and we’ve been doing work in schools. But we have had to suspend that because as money gets less and less we’re having to cut back services.
“We’re having to start the closure process now. We get lots of referrals from social care, NHS services and mental health. The waiting list for NHS counselling is two years. We can get someone in in six weeks.
“But we’re having to slow it down because it’s no good putting people on waiting lists if we won’t have time to see them.”
Derrick said support seemed to dry up once people had left an abusive relationship, but often they are still recovering from the trauma of it.
He fears people will slip through the net if Pathways was no more.
“If we go, there will be nowhere for these people to go. They will have to fend for themselves, or will put extra strain on the mental health services.
“We’ve been working since 1994 and have helped thousands of people in that time.
“If anyone could give just £1, it all helps.”
Visit https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/pathway-to-change
