An Aberdeen community centre has suffered losses of £160,000 since being forced shut by the pandemic, and bosses are fearful of the impact the ongoing closure is having on its regular users.
Youth work is vital in local communities now more than ever, but the sector has been hit hard by efforts to stem the spread of coronavirus.
Although rules are relaxing in terms of work that can be carried out with young people, for many the damage has already been done.
Inchgarth Community Centre is one of the busiest in Aberdeen and usually provides a huge programme for young people in the area.
But the venue has suffered a £160,000 loss since the start of lockdown and regular attendees are suffering without it.
Manager Paul O’Connor said that, almost every year, during a global pandemic or not, programmes targeted at helping young people were left “scrimping and scraping” to survive.
Mr O’Connor said: “Before the pandemic, we were seeing people come to us for the first time who have never been on benefits or never needed help or support before.
“People with various disabilities use the facilities here and the mental health impact on them has been colossal.”
Many children, adults with additional support needs and people with health problems use the centre.
But with it not operating to the same capacity as it normally does, that has left many facing social isolation.
The “knock-on effect” has thus been on their mental health and GP referrals have been increasing, Mr O’Connor said.
Although times have been tough, there has been “a lot of good” during the pandemic as the centre has managed to connect with people who have previously slipped through the net.
Staff helped one woman who barely got out of the house each year and set her up with a laptop so she was able to connect and chat to friends on social media, and they plan to bring her into the centre when it’s possible to do so.
Around 90 volunteers also came forward to help during lockdown and another 70 are currently on a waiting list to help out.
The cafe inside the centre usually generates £93,000 a year and this money, alongside other funding, helps the Garthdee venue operate.
As many organisations operating in the youth work sector struggle to ensure their services are safe, Mr O’Connor is hopeful that politicians will devote more cash to the cause.
