2 weeks Ago
Its closure after more than 50 years was confirmed at a board meeting of the charity last month following almost three years of financial struggles following the termination of a States grant of £60,000 towards its counselling provision. The charity’s residential dry house facility at the top of the Grange, which opened in 1986, will also be sold. Mr Newman, who has run GAAS for the last 31 years, said the closure had been on the cards for some time, with the charity having exhausted all possible fundraising options.
‘Losing the States funding basically meant we lost our core, we could no longer afford to pay for a manager of the dry house, and since June last year it’s basically been me doing everything on my own which just isn’t sustainable.’ A handful of people still live in the dry house, and Mr Newman said he was doing all he could to find them alternative living arrangements. ‘We managed to house one resident last week and another person is now on a list for sheltered accommodation, so that means there are still two who we have to find something for before the lights and power get switched off.
’ Mr Newman expected that the house would sell for between £1.3m. and £1.
5m. He was still unsure what he would do with the proceeds once they came through. ‘Do we reset the charity in some form? Do we rent somewhere and carry on? Do we donate the money to other good causes? Or do we invest the money so that it can be used as a bursary? It’s difficult to say at the moment and it’s something myself and the other directors will need to look at.
’ Estimating that the charity had helped approximately 3,000 islanders and housed about 400 in its dry house, Mr Newman said he believed the service had been useful to Guernsey. ‘It’s a shame the States didn’t agree,’ he said. ‘I feel most proud when I walk down the High Street and someone comes up to me and tells me that I helped their family member or a friend of theirs.
’ ‘The crown jewel really has been the dry house though, the island is crying out for accommodation like what the dry house has, and now it’s going to go to waste.’.
