A drugs support group in Derry says it is doomed to closure after its vital funding to help those with addiction problems was dramatically cut.
Divert, which is based at Dove House in the Bogside, said it lost the £200,000 contract to deliver the service on behalf of the Public Health Agency.
Five of the seven people it employs will lose their jobs.
Divert will close in nine days time on October 1 after the Public Health Agency awarded the contract to a Belfast charity.
The support groups was established in 1999 and provides alcohol and drug education, prevention and early intervention services across Derry, Limavady and Strabane.
Dove House manager Bronagh McMonagle said: “The bad news is that we have lost the service through a competitive tendering process so as of the first of October, Divert will no longer be in existence.
“Not only will five employees be on the unemployment line, you’re also losing around 60 years of experience from the drugs and alcohol sector.
“Two workers will be able to carry their expertise over to the new group so that’s some kind of positive.
“A local mother ringing in on a Monday morning looking for frontline crisis intervention, after her son has been missing over the weekend taking drugs etc, that’s gone.”
In a statement the Public Health Agency (PHA) said: “In line with the Northern Ireland Public Procurement Policy, in October 2014 the PHA issued a number of tenders for the provision of a range of treatment and support services to assist people impacted by drug and alcohol issues.
“All tenders received were evaluated against the selection and award criteria which were set in advance, and contracts were awarded to the providers that achieved the highest score.
“Under the tender process, the PHA focused on ensuring that high quality services were established across the region and is content that contracts were awarded fairly.”
