VAST, a group supporting charities in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire has warned many of the organisations it works with may be facing a struggle to survive. As a result services depended on by vulnerable people may disappear.
Nationally even large charities are facing an uncertain future, third sector news site Civil Society reported that the sector is set to lose £4.3 billion in fundraising income over the next three months.
Charities at risk include the St John's Ambulance, who have been key players in supporting the NHS as it responds to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chief executive Martin Houghton-Brown told Civil Society that his "entire organisation is now delivering for Covid-19", by that without significant help from the government "we will run out of money".
He added this would result in trustees having to make "very difficult judgements" about the organisations future.
Other charities facing difficulty include Barnado's, who have seen their funding fall by 30%.
locally VAST has seen its income fall dramatically after lockdown restrictions forced the closure of its sites at the Dudson Centre in Janet and The Hub in Stafford.
Acting chief executive Lisa Healings said in a press statement "so many people in Stoke-on-Trent are thankful for the support they receive from local groups. The organisations we work with provide practical help, advice and in many cases, the only social contact people have".
Local charities were, she said, keen to help people during these difficult times, but few crisis in funding was forcing many to take tough decisions about their future.
On Wednesday chancellor Rishi Sunak announced a package of measures to support charities worth £750million, £370million of which will go towards supporting smaller charities.
Responses from third sector organisations have been mixed, Karl Wilding of the National Council of Voluntary Organisations welcomed the package as "an important first step", but said more support would be needed in the long term.
Other charity leaders expressed scepticism, Lynda Thomas of Macmillan Cancer Support told the BBC the funding wouldn't be enough to "prevent many of the nation's charities cutting the support they provide when it is needed most".
Barnado's chief executive, a so speaking to the BBC Javed Khan said the package was "little more than a sticking plaster".
The government's plans received qualified support from newly appointed shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds, told BBC news that while welcome the additional funding fell "short of filling the financial black hole many organisations are facing".
These are unprecedented times in which both the government and charities have had to respond to unimaginable challenges at speed. This that come afterwards and last much longer are likely to be even harder.
Charities will play a vital role in rebuilding something like normality once the pandemic is over. Without adequate support from government they will not be able to do so and many people will suffer needlessly as a result.
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