A grassroots south London charity that campaigns against domestic abuse has been forced to hold meetings in a nearby Costa after becoming “homeless”.
The Cassandra Centre had been based in Norbury High Street until May last year and paid only utilities for the space, but the bank building which housed the centre was sold.
The charity, which has four members of staff, has since struggled to find a hub that it can afford as it does not receive Government funding.
The charity, co-founded by Jennifer McDermott in 2007 after the tragic murder of her 19-year-old daughter Cassandra by her ex-boyfriend, provides support and counselling for those affected by abusive relationships.
Ms McDermott told the Standard: “Now that we have become technically homeless, we're looking for space but looking at the very high rents, this is something that we can't afford.”
She said service users have been affected because different groups and support networks were spread out over many locations.
It also means the charity has to pay for storage and the rent of a church space where it holds a lunch club.
“It's not knowing where we are [that is the problem],” said Ms McDermott.
“Of course, you can get out on the end of the phone. But that's not practical in many cases because they actually physically need to be in this space.
“We're talking about traumatised people, we're talking mothers who have gone through horrendous abuse and children. At one stage we provided a chill out space for the kids and so that is no longer there.”
Staff are also forced to frequently work from a Costa when they are sent a referral because of the lack of space, she said.
Ms McDermott called for both greater funding for the service, saying that Croydon often has the highest number of domestic violence cases in the capital, and appealed for help in finding the centre a hub it could afford.
“Small charities like us, which they label as grassroots charities, we are the ones on the ground,” she said.
“We are the ones within the communities. We're the ones who know where the pockets of poverty lie.
“We pick up the risk but we are the least funded.”
A Croydon Council spokesperson said the charity’s work was “valued” but the nature of the services it offered made it hard to find suitable space.
“We do offer all VAWG charities free use of our interview and confidential space in the Family Justice Service for them to meet clients and we have also offered the Cassandra Centre some space at a discounted rate at a local library,” said the spokesperson.
“We have provided a list of possible options for the Cassandra Centre to pursue, along with the details of property agents who have wider offering of properties, and we will continue to support them in their search for suitable accommodation."
