A DUDLEY drop-in centre for people with mental health problems is to close by the summer after being hit by council cut backs.

Dove House, which is run by mental health charity Dudley Mind with funds from Dudley Council, offers support and social contact to people with severe mental health issues across the borough.

The charity, which has been supporting people in Dudley since the 1970s, is currently going through a bidding process to determine whether it can continue to provide services across the borough for people battling mental illness but as part of any revised contract – whether it is awarded to Dudley Mind or another organisation – there is reportedly no funding available for Dove House.

People who attend the facility, which is open for people to drop-in five days a week, have described it as a “lifeline” and they fear its loss will leave some of the most vulnerable members of the community more isolated than they already are.

One service user, who did not wish to be named, said: “People who attend there are very vulnerable – and it’s the only place where they get any human contact. I fear people could commit suicide.

“We appreciate the council have got to make cuts and we don’t expect it to be open all the time – but we think there’s a need; if it was only available two days a week it’s still a lifeline.”

The centre, located on the Bushey Fields Hospital site for psychiatric patients, operates with two members of staff and costs around £30,000 per year to run.

It provides mostly social support – “helping people who might otherwise be isolated to get together with others,” Martin Mueller, chief executive of Dudley Mind said.

He added: “It also offers assistance when people have a bit of a crisis – when they have an unforeseen incident.”

Around 60 people use the centre, some more regularly than others, which has been open for about 12 years and which is expected to shut its doors by June 30.

Mr Mueller said service users had been “upset” to hear Dove House will be unable to remain open but he stressed: “We will do everything we can to find them an alternative means of support.”

Service user Ken Parsons from Netherton, however, said: “What are we going to do when services are cut? Mental health will get worse in Dudley because of this.

“People out there who haven’t got a family or any support will end up with the crisis team, who are overworked anyway, or going to A&E.

“One of the reasons we haven’t moved forward with regard to the stigma attached to mental health is that there isn’t enough money to promote it.”

Under a cost-cutting shake-up of services funded by Dudley Council – a single contract is to be awarded to cover mental health and learning disabilities/difficulties – offering a £700,000 budget – but that figure is reportedly less than half the amount currently devoted to the service.

Councillor Qadar Zada, Dudley's cabinet member for adult social care, said: “Despite our protests, the unprecedented funding cuts imposed on us by central government mean we face difficult decisions about the services we provide.

“While we fully recognise the role of non-statutory support, such as the preventative assistance offered at Dove House, we are being forced to review such services to ensure help is focused towards those who need it most and to protect those who are the most vulnerable.

“We are working closely with our partners Dudley and Walsall Mental Health Trust to provide drop-in facilities wherever it is possible and I will continue to lobby for more resources for these services.”