This means the ministry’s work in the community will be funded for a further four years and it will relieve the ministry staff who say their help is needed in Calderdale like never before and it would have been a huge blow to the people of the district , if this had been the case strayed.
Andrew Sykes of Noah’s Ark said: “In May the Halifax Courier ran a story highlighting the funding difficulties we were having.
“From the point of view of the time, we would have had no choice but to consider the termination of our most important debt advisors.
“Our project did not receive any statutory funding from either Calderdale Council or the NHS and we have relied on the generosity of grant providers.
“I am delighted that the National Lottery Community Fund is providing the lion’s share – 65 percent – of the money we need to carry out our project over the next four years.
“They have awarded a bursary of just over £260,000, which is an extension of their first bursary from 2019, totaling seven years of funding.
“This is extremely good news for the people of Calderdale.
“Without this, our service would have been forced to either stop or significantly reduce service delivery.
“It would have had a huge impact on our debt counseling project, our budgeting classes and our food bank and would have been devastating for the people of Calderdale as it would have come at a time when they will need us like never before.
“The relief for my employees and I is palpable, not because their jobs are secured, but because they can continue with the work they love.”
Andrew says the center’s debt counseling project is one of the most successful in the country, having helped over 1,200 people in Calderdale become debt-free in the last five years.
Andrew said, “Debt is destructive; they drive people to the brink of suicide, ruin relationships, and have tremendous negative mental health effects.
“I have led our debt counseling project for 12 years and 2022 has been a year like no other, one of the greatest challenges our community has faced in a generation.
“To give you an idea of the scope of our activity, in 2016 we helped 61 Calderdale families become debt free – this year we are expecting nearly 400.
“It’s easy to forget that despite government intervention, energy prices are more than double what they were last winter.
“Families are still facing really challenging times: I think we need to pray for a mild winter.
“National Lottery funding recognizes the importance of personal counseling projects like ours, with all our ancillary services such as budgeting classes, mental health support, employment support and our food bank.” Noah’s Ark is a community organization that works hard to serve its community. We’ve worked really hard to make sure we’re still here, still able to do what we do.
“Calderdale needs Noah’s Ark and we are proud to continue to serve our community.”
