Bermuda cannot lose its only shelter for victims of domestic abuse, according to Sheelagh Cooper of the Coalition for the Protection of Children — reacting to news that the cash-strapped facility had been forced to close as the Centre Against Abuse faces a crippling shortage of funds.

Ms Cooper said the Island couldn’t afford to go without the emergency housing, known simply as the Shelter, when families were already frayed by the effects of the economic recession.

She called the Shelter “one of the most important and most vital services to women and their children fleeing from the ravages of domestic violence”.

The Royal Gazette yesterday reported that the Centre Against Abuse was in a financial “mess”, according to its board chairman Lorna Dixon-Marable, even as funding shrinks for local charities.

“I am shocked and very disturbed by the possibility that this essential service is coming to a close at a time when we have seen a steady increase in domestic violence, as the economy continues to put additional stresses on families,” Ms Cooper said last night.

“Indeed if I were to choose the most valuable charitable service in Bermuda I would have to name the protection and support provided by the shelter.”

Saying she felt unable to sit by and watch, Ms Cooper added that she’d be personally donating to help save a “vital service”.

“I am hopeful that many others will join me in this effort,” she said. “We simply cannot let this happen.”