Help and Shelter forced to close home for abused
Needs $4.2M annual subvention
Stabroek News
January 28, 2003
Help and Shelter (H&S) has announced that its refuge for abused women and children will be closed by the end of this month due to the lack of sustained funding for its recurrent expenditure.
A press release yesterday stated that the shelter, which served as a refuge for 98 domestic violence victims since its inception in 2001, would close at the end of January 2003 due to the lack of funds.
H&S will however continue to provide Crisis Counselling at its Homestretch Avenue office from 8 am to 4:30 pm in addition to carrying out its court support work and involvement in public education activities.
In an invited comment yesterday, H&S Vice-Chairman Vidyaratha Kissoon explained that the monthly budget for maintaining the operations of the shelter totals $347,000. He added that some $8.5M million would be required if the shelter was to be adequately subsidised for an additional two years.
Salaries for ancillary staffers, utility payments for the supply of water and electricity and cellular phone service (since no landline is available at the shelter) and food expenses constitute the bulk of the recurrent costs, Kissoon said.
He said despite having received support from the Guyana Lottery Company (GLC), the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GUYSUCO), the Kayman Sankar Group of Companies, Banks DIH and the New Building Society (NBS) on a sustained basis, H&S was forced to reduce its staff and cut back on advertising among other adjustments.
According to the press release, a $6M grant from the GLC together with the proceeds of fundraising events and campaigns, covered operational costs for two years. Additionally, the shelter has an ongoing contract with Bounty Farm, courtesy of the British government through the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), for rearing chickens as well as fruit and vegetable growing project.
But the release stated "there is still a considerable gap between the income realised and the minimum possible monthly cost of running the shelter."
Kissoon pointed out that local donor agencies prefer to fund projects rather than finance recurrent expenditure.
"It is hoped that the government can intervene and assist us in garnering further funding from the Lotto company," Kissoon said. He noted that while "the economy is not good and people give what they can afford...domestic violence victims need help."
Meanwhile, Kissoon assured, the current residents would be relocated to relatives with whom they were likely to be safe. The release said it is hoped that the shelter will only remain closed temporarily "and that our ongoing efforts to obtain the necessary funding to cover shelter operating costs will soon be successful."
The release also signalled the commitment of H&S in doing everything possible to enable the re-opening of what was the only functioning shelter in the country for abused women.
Last year, a number of the residents benefited from training in several skills including fabric painting, tie-dying, batik and candle making, the release added. The hotlines for the crisis counselling service are 227 3454 and 231 7249. (Edlyn Benfield)
