Crucial charity service to close

A charity service in Oldham that has ‘transformed people’s lives’ is being forced to close down after more than eight years providing vital services to vulnerable people in the community.

The Ancora Project, based in the Oldham Library, has provided vital services to some of the most vulnerbale people in the community for more than eight years. But it will cease operation from July 25. 

The volunteers provide crisis support for those facing homelessness, debt battles or struggling to afford basic necessities like food. But after winning bids for grants from The National Lottery for eight years, the organisation struggled to find alternative funding. 

“We’re gutted,” Suzy Pabla, Ancora’s project manager, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service. “We regularly see a group of people that usual services don’t work for. We are a little concerned where people might go for accessing that sort of support. There are things on offer, but I think we are quite unique in our approach.

“For some people it’s transformed their lives.” 

Pictured above: Suzy Pabla at the Ancora Project in Oldham.

The LDRS spoke to one man, who did not wish to be named, who said the support he received from volunteers had been ‘life-saving’. 

“I was priced out of the property I was renting,” he said. “I was working as a kitchen fitter – but after struggling with drink and drugs, and then health problems, I was getting less hours. The rent went up and three months later, I was made homeless.

“I’m living in temporary accommodation now, and am about to become a pensioner. Ancora helped me with all the paperwork for things like pension credit. 

“I didn’t know what I was entitled to and without them I really would have struggled. I think it’s easy to slip through the cracks.”

The closure comes as the borough is still seeing rising levels of housing insecurity, with private rent prices sky-rocketing, while wages and benefits payments fail to keep up with rising costs. 

A spokesperson for Ancora said: “Whilst the Ancora project is closing, citizens can continue to access support from Christians Against Poverty and Oldham foodbank. The work of lead partner KeyRing continues as they support individuals in Oldham to build skills in the local area and to prevent crisis.”