A homelessness charity says it may have to make redundancies and reduce its services amidst financial challenges.
Manna House, in Kendal, Cumbria, said the situation had been caused by a decline in grant funding and donations combined with higher running costs.
It needs £1,000 a day to meet demand and said it does about 28 loads of washing every week and provides a similar number of showers, contributing to spiralling energy costs.
It also said government funding to tackle homelessness should be received to help put it on a sustainable footing. The charity’s chief officer Andrea Aldridge said it needed guaranteed funds to do the “really good work we do”.
Manna House runs drop-in sessions three days a week, offering facilities for people to have a shower, wash their clothes and get a hot lunch, as well as giving housing and benefits advice.
The organisation also has a pod which is used as temporary accommodation.
It said its income over the past 12 months had dropped by 38%, forcing it to cut staff hours while protecting its core opening times.
Manna House helped 430 people access its drop in sessions in 2025 [Manna House]
A 28-year-old man, who became homeless several years ago following a family breakdown and who asked to remain anonymous, has used the charity twice.
He said practical help including accessing a crisis grant, alongside the strong sense of community, was vital.
He said the service gave him a “little boost in life every single day”.
“When you’ve been used to something pretty much every single day, when that’s gone, it can cause serious impacts to people’s lives.”
Volunteer Mike first came across the charity when he was experiencing mental health issues which were affecting his job.
He said: “It was a very lonely place.
“I struggled to reach out and know what to do or where to get support.”
He said the community-feel of the drop-ins helped him overcome his anxiety and the experience prompted him to give back.
“I wanted to do some volunteering, these guys helped so much and I wanted to return that favour,” he said.
Long-term solution
Aldridge said the community had rallied to help them “keep going hand to mouth but that’s not actually sustainable”.
“We really need some guarantees of funding over time that will make it possible for us to just get on and do the really good work we do,” she said.
Aldridge said £442m announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham to tackle homelessness was expected to come to local authorities, and in the South Lakeland area a portion should “absolutely” come to Manna House.
“If we cannot find sustainable solutions we are going to have to make redundancies because staff costs are rightly our biggest expense,” she added.
Westmorland and Furness Council has been approached for comment.
Between now and the new year, the organisation is trying to raise £100,000.
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