The battle to save a “valuable” Inverness-based support centre for adults with autism will go “to the wire” amid a cash crisis.
Autism Initiative, which runs the Highland One Stop Shop (HOSS), said they would soon have to start handing out redundancy notices to staff and plan for the permanent closure if no finance is found.
HOSS Managers fear the “devastating” impact of closure on the 490 vulnerable clients and their families as it is the only operation of its kind in the north.
NHS Highland ended its non-recurring funding support amd now HOSS is desperately in need of more cash.
Project Coordinator, Gill Maclennan, said: “This is an extremely difficult time for everybody – I think it would be devastating if the service were to close.
“It would impact not just our service users but their families as well as professionals and other agencies that benefit from the service.”
Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey MP Drew Hendry said: “There is no doubt the situation is going up to the wire.
“I hope that discussions with NHS Highland this week, and Highland One Stop Shop, will find a way to broker a solution.”
Back in November, the centre sought funding for one third of its £150,000 budget at which point NHS Highland offered £23,000 to mitigate the shortfall.
HOSS needed more with the vast majority of its budget going towards running costs like staff pay, rent, and activities for clients.
A spokesman for NHS Highland said: “This was discretionary and it was highlighted each time that this was not secured as annual funding.”
The health board then offered the £23,000 to cover “accommodation costs” but said that was “turned down” by autism initiatives as insufficient.
Mathew Day, project manager at Autism Initiatives, said: “There are different perspectives on that – they always knew we would need it to carry on.”
Mr Hendry added: “What I am interested in is keeping the HOSS doors open in the short to medium term so we can investigate revenue streams that will put it on a more secure long term footing.”
“This is a valuable service to families and users that helps them into work that we must keep in the Highlands. Everyone is aware that this is the 11th hour.”
