Disabled adult charity may shut with no grant help

A charity has said it could be forced to close without more financial backing, due to the difficulty they face applying for grants.

Shropshire PCAS cares for 11,000 adults who are disabled or vulnerable, and is a point of contact when they have not got anyone else to turn to.

The Oswestry-based charity say its biggest costs come from increasing energy bills and their advocates, who are their caregivers.

The charity supports disabled adults through complex issues including housing problems, safeguarding concerns, social care access, energy bills and health challenges.

Shropshire PCAS say although they are nine months away and have some funding, they'd have to "shrink the service" or "close all together."

"We've done 116 applications in the last six months, but the issue is with funding now is the criteria changes," Tarrah Lewis, the charity's business development manager said.

"We do fall into a lot of categories [in what the funders want], but sometimes it may be like you've had enough funding the last few years, which is why we are looking into other sources of funding and not having to rely so much on our big funders."

The charity say if it were to close, it has to have enough in the reserves to wind up the organisation, which is £40,000.

"That's how life and death it is really about the service," she added. "I don't think sometimes people realise that we are a small charity."

Due to increasing demand, Shropshire PCAS had to close its doors four times in the past two years.

It now has a strict cap of 30 waiting clients at a time, despite demand far exceeding capacity.

Lewis said the charity's advocates were often the only people its users saw.

"It's a lonely time for a lot of people, but just getting that smile on their face by seeing their advocate means the world."

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