By JADE RUSSELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

jrussell@tribunemedia.net

THE decades-old Ranfurly Home orphanage is warning it may be forced to shut its doors as dwindling donations and a shrinking pool of benefactors push the institution into a severe financial crisis.

Leaders say the strain mirrors what many local NGOs face as they try to meet rising demand for help, particularly heading into the holidays.

Families of All Murdered Victims (FOAM) President Khandi Gibson, who operates a private six-bedroom shelter, said more people are turning to her organisation simply to survive — from young fathers needing diapers to single mothers and even employed Bahamians who cannot keep up with the cost of living.

Ranfurly Home President Joey Premock said sustaining support for the home’s 25 children, aged 12 to 17, has become increasingly difficult. She said the institution needs several hundred thousand dollars to regain stable footing.

She said the home receives only about 25 percent of its funding from the government, calling that level of support barely “significant” given its estimated $55,000 in monthly expenses.

While donations arrive, she said most come in the form of gifts or clothing — helpful, but no substitute for the cash needed to cover food, utilities, medical care, counselling, and staff salaries. She said the Home currently has fewer than five donors. She described the finances as unstable and said closure is possible if conditions do not improve.

“The Ranfurly Home can close down without financial support to help facilitate us with purchasing food, continuing to pay our light bill that is not sponsored by the government,” she said.

Ms Premock said the public often assumes the home is financially comfortable when it is not. She urged Bahamians to contribute time or donations to protect some of the country’s most vulnerable children.

Ms Gibson said her shelter now houses 22 people — women, children, and men — many seeking refuge after eviction or unsafe living situations. The shelter costs $2,500 a month to operate, not including food, monetary assistance, and other support provided to people outside the facility.

“People asking you if they could go on a waiting list until a space becomes available. It is rough out here,” she said. “It’s only so much the government can do. But if we all come together, pull our weight, and share our resources, we could help so many people.”

Ms Gibson said she often spends her own money to help those who turn to her organisation. She said it is painful to see so many Bahamians — young and old — struggling to the point of contemplating suicide.

She estimated that $100,000 would significantly strengthen FOAM’s financial position and allow it to assist far more people.