21/05/2026
Today, Sarah Gorman, CEO of Oasis Community Housing, announced:
We are deeply saddened that our Basis drop-in, the only one of its kind in Sunderland, is facing closure.
For more than eight years, it has been a lifeline for people experiencing homelessness - having had over 23,000 conversations offering trusted support, crisis intervention, and a life-changing route out of homelessness for people who have had nowhere else to turn.
People facing homelessness; people escaping domestic abuse; veterans; people just released from hospital or prison; people battling addiction or poor physical or mental health; and many many more.
We have given extensive thought and consideration to launching a public appeal, as we know the immense value that local people place on the drop-in and the support it provides to the city. However, even with our committed community of supporters, we know from our previous public appeals that we could only raise a fraction of the funding required to keep the drop-in operating sustainably. It currently costs around ÂŁ13,000 per month to run our drop-in and, unfortunately, the reality is that we would likely find ourselves back in the same position within a matter of weeks or months.
We know this because, for years now, we have been working hard behind the scenes to try and save this vital service, exploring every possible route as well as speaking to commissioners, local authority, mental health NHS Trust, partner agencies, charitable trusts and donors, in the hope of gaining the substantial longer-term funding needed to safely sustain a service of this scale.
Sadly, we are living in a time where costs are rising while funding opportunities are reducing or disappearing altogether.
It is therefore with huge regret that we are at the stage where we have had to discuss possible redundancies with our drop-in team, who have given enormous commitment and compassion to provide stability, protection and a brighter future for the people who walk through our drop-in doors.
We remain hopeful, and we are continuing to focus every energy on sourcing the significant amount required to provide the staff and people we support a safe, stable and secure specialist service for at least the next 18 months - to give us a foundation for continued conversations, planning and funding applications.
Losing the Basis Sunderland drop-in would leave a chasm of care and support for some of the most vulnerable people in our community who are already at crisis point. We are grateful to the funders and partners who have supported the Sunderland drop-in so far, and now we urgently appeal to any person of influence, major donor or charitable trust who can help keep this vital service open for local people who need it most đź’›
