Broken Rainbow, a lifeline for thousands of LGBT people experiencing domestic violence and abuse, comes to the end of its main funding stream in March and has had no clear confirmation from the Home Office whether funding will be extended for another year.
IF THEIR funding is not to be renewed or replaced, this will result in the helpline being closed down.
Wendy Wilde, Service Delivery Manager, said: “We’ve supported over five thousand people this year and if we were to close there are very few other services for them to go to, and not one that offers national support in the way we do.”
Broken Rainbow has been in existence since 2004; in that time, it estimates that it has supported tens of thousands of people. The service offers support not only to LGBT victims but also perpetrators of domestic abuse.
They worked closely with Eastenders, the BBC soap, on its same-sex domestic violence storyline last year; they say that since then, their services have been under more demand that ever before.
Broken Rainbow’s Managing Director, Jo Harvey Barringer, said: “Government cuts on domestic violence services have a huge part to play.”
“Our service is comparatively expensive to run, as our calls can take a long time due to us offering case work rather than simply a signposting service. Currently almost as many calls meet an engaged tone as a helpline worker because we only have enough funding for one person to answer calls at any time.
“Often callers are disclosing their abuse for the first time and the reality is that there is often nowhere to signpost people to.
“Decisions, like the one by Hammersmith and Fulham to close the men’s refuge, are a prime example. The money is just not there to support the demand.”
She continued: “Other funding options are limited and, though we have been luckily enough to bring in some smaller grants, it hasn’t been enough to cover the cost of the helpline. Also, an opportunity we had from a corporate body didn’t meet its expectations.
“Whilst we are incredibly grateful for the support we receive from Comic Relief and Allen Lane, among others, these are grants that cover specific projects and, like many other organisations, finding core funding is extremely difficult.
“We cannot capture the large corporate funding streams like Stonewall and engaging corporate funders is often incredibly hard due to the nature of the work we do. It’s much easier for them to support LGBT organisations that aren’t confronting something unpalatable within our own community. As a result we’ve had to be creative and engage more volunteers to help us run additional services to meet the increased demand for us.
“However, our helpline is still our main service and the lack of certainty around its future is worrying.”
Caroline Lucas, MP for Brighton Pavilion, said: “If Broken Rainbow is forced to close its services as a result of Government cuts, it will mean the loss of a unique service which has made a real difference to the lives of tens of thousands of people. To see it close just at the time when its services are under greatest demand would be perverse and counterproductive, putting more people at risk, and undermining the excellent work it has done to date. I urge the Government to think again.”
Broken Rainbow depends on donations and the goodwill of its supporters.
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