Families forced to wait for help following charity’s funding crisis

At least 16 families are awaiting support from a Fife lone parent charity, more than a fortnight after it warned of funding problems.

Fife Gingerbread revealed last month that it was facing a “perfect storm” where many funding streams are ending, are being cut, or are only partially funded to continue.

As a result, the organisation says it may be forced to reduce its service and cut staff from 41 to 14, with no more support for up to 253 of the 348 families it currently helps.

Rhona Cunningham, chief executive, has thanked local people and volunteers for going “above and beyond” for the charity since news of its plight broke, hailing an online petition which now has over 1,200 signatures urging funding to be found.

“These efforts go to show how important and embedded Fife Gingerbread is in the local community,” she said.

“Meetings and talks are still ongoing with various representatives from Scottish Government and Fife Council, and I can report a certain amount of positivity has emerged from some of these discussions, but we are not in any way safe yet.

“Unfortunately, we are still forced to operate a waiting list system for any new referrals, meaning right now there are 16 families who need our support.”

Four families in Dunfermline, three in each of Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath, and two in each of north-east Fife, Levenmouth and Glenrothes have been placed on the waiting list.

Ms Cunningham added: “We would love to be able to open these cases and give the parents the help they need, but it cannot happen with the current funding uncertainty.”