Teesside domestic abuse charity concerned about future of its service
My Sister's Place in Middlesbrough says there's a lack of funding
A domestic abuse charity in Teesside says they're worried about having to say no to people who need support this year because of a lack of funding.
My Sister's Place in Middlesbrough say they have a unique trauma recovery service that's potentially really going to be impacted.
Lesley Storey, chief executive, said: "It's likely that that would be one of the services that's really going to be hit hard because we're not really funded from any statutory source to deliver that. We get no money from health, we get a small amount of money from the local authority, and we don't get any money from the Police and Crime Commissioner to fund that.
"The worries are that we'll not be able to provide the level of service that we're providing. The worry is that we'll have to start saying to people 'no. We can't help you.' and turning them away. There's not an equivalent service, this is a unique service, there's nobody else providing this service in Middlesbrough or in Cleveland.
"One of the things that is potentially really going to be impacted is our ability to help women, children, and some men recover from abuse. We have an exceptional therapeutic service. We work with, in the course of a year, hundreds of people to help them recover through our trauma informed therapy.
"It's that last piece of the jigsaw to help somebody recover and if it isn't going to be there, that really concerns me. It really worries me that we're going to be saying to people 'no. I'm sorry. We can't offer than support anymore.'"