Charity user feels 'betrayed' after closure

A service user of a homelessness charity that collapsed suddenly said she felt "betrayed".

Access Community Trust, founded in 1975, closed on Wednesday and left East Suffolk Council to find new accommodation for 87 people.

A spokesperson on behalf of the charity said it was working with stakeholders on alternative care, and East Suffolk Council added it had ensured that 75 of the bed spaces had been retained.

User of the charity, Poppy Stopforth, 22, said initial rumours of it closing earlier in the week had left her terrified.

"It is pretty scary for me," she said.

"I know a lot of other people in a similar situation, and it's scary for them too.

"I can't understand how this has been allowed to happen because surely there has to be some protocol in place for this not to be the case. I put my trust in these people, and I feel so betrayed."

The charity provides housing in Lowestoft as well as services across Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich in Suffolk, and King's Lynn in Norfolk.

It is expected to enter administration in the coming days.

Stopforth was also concerned for affected staff, who she said were "honest" and "kind".

"It's so sad," she added.

John Manning has been a charity user for several years.

He said he had been left "heartbroken" by the news and felt the impact on the users would be "horrendous".

"I came here yesterday to go to bingo and have a meal, and there was a notice on the door saying closed for the day," he said.

"The notice is still there."

He added: "I reckon a lot of [people] will be crying and sitting at home on their own.

"There are people in wheelchairs and people in walkers, a bus comes up here every week to bring them in, but now they've got nowhere."

Mel Collins worked for the charity, but left in December when she said she noticed serious issues.

"Our service alone was supposed to be manned by a minimum of three or four staff, and it was down to me and my senior," she claimed.

"We were taking on 25 residents alone who had mental health issues, drug misuse issues, we were trying to house people...It was becoming impossible.

"We had safety people come in to try and make it compliant, who walked out because their money wasn't paid."

Ricky Bollden is the general manager of Lowestoft charity Adam Outreach Project, a similar service that helps provide accommodation for those experiencing homelessness.

He said the charity would step in where it could, but expected to see the extent of the damage being revealed in a few months.

"I feel that professionals, organisations, CEOs, people that are high up have got to step in, move forward, put their hand out and say, what can we do to help.

"If there are places that need managing, we can support.

"If Sam's Cafeneeds managing, we can step forward and help that, but I think higher up the scale, there has got to be better contingencies in place.

"People have got to be well trained, and people high up in leadership roles have got to do better to manage these services."

Jess Asato, Labour MP for Lowestoft, said she was "completely shocked" by the news and there had been "no indication" that this was going to happen.

"It's really hard to understand how this charity collapsed overnight," she said.

"Obviously, I'm going to be seeking answers, and I'm hoping to speak with the chair of trustees today.

"I have to say that East Suffolk Council has moved incredibly quickly to secure the interim providers for 87 vulnerable people in accommodation.

"But there is so much more that needs to be done, and what we need now is for other agencies to step in and ensure that these exceptionally vulnerable residents, particularly the ones in our shelter, have support workers.

"Because it's one thing keeping a building open, it's another thing making sure that that really important personal care is around those people who might have mental health problems and drug and alcohol issues."

FRP Advisory, a business advisory firm, is working with Access after it ceased trading.

A spokesperson confirmed 96 employees out of 126 had been made redundant, and the majority of other employees had been retained to provide ongoing care while the transfer of operations is either explored or agreed.

A spokesperson for East Suffolk Council added its priority was to ensure nobody was left "without a safe place to stay or access to essential support services".

"Through working in partnership with recognised providers during the past 48 hours, we have been able to ensure 75 of the bed spaces will be retained and that residents will be able to remain, with an alternative, trusted support service," they said.

"We have also agreed on a short-term solution to the remaining 12 beds, meaning that no one will be asked to leave their home today."

They added that the council would be preparing to support the staff "wherever possible" too.

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