Hi everyone

i really need your help

The Haven Project in Colchester supports clients who have been diagnosed with personality disorders. As you can imagine getting a diagnosis like this comes with an awful lot of stigma, people will feel alone and empty inside like no one in the world understands how this affects peoples lives.

As i have been diagnosed with a personality disorder myself i genuinely thought i was the only person in the world with this problem, i had been referred to a few NHS services out there and really felt like i was not understood at all and that i should 'snap out of it' and live normally.

Unfortunately it doesnt work like this, a significant trauma in my childhood has made me view and think of life and situations differently, the abuse i suffered has affected me so severely i am unable to work and just the smallest of tasks are very difficult for me to cope with, i really felt my life was over and that things would never get better and that attempting suicide many times to harm myself was the only answer to escape all this darkness.

But i was referred to The Haven Project and was registered there earlier this year and it was like a world i never knew, the kindness ans sense of belonging i felt as soon as the door was opened and i was welcomed inside.

It is a place i feel safe at when the world feels like its crumbling around me.

It is a 24 hour 7days a week service, you can call or text them whenever you like and talk about whatever you want to, even if it is just to scream to get all your frustration out-it saves hurting the ones you love at home

They are so understanding and i have nearly been sectioned at the local hospital several times since being registered but these admissions have been prevented because the haven have been there.

They provide groups during the week which help with basic life skills needed to live independantly in the world, clients have also been able to study and get jobs from the support of the haven helping them with any difficulties they are facing with the workload etc

They have always relied on donations to keep the place running as smoothly as it has been, but due to the economy regular funding has been cut from several places and we are struggling to keep afloat.

If the Haven were to close down because it can no longer run on the lack of funding it's recieving, so many peoples lives will be turned upside down and there will be more pressure on NHS services to provide exactly what we need to feel we are not falling apart and crisis situations will become more and more.

It is one thing to start tackling and focusing on the ever growing population that have been abused in childhood and sending these criminals to prison, but what about the mess these people have left behind?

The actions of others impact the victims so much but it is getting overlooked.

Please we need your help to keep funding going, without this we are nothing.

Rosanna

http://www.thehavenproject.org.uk/