A man who has dedicated a 'lifetime' to helping vulnerable people fears his charity will be 'homeless' as it faces eviction. Joginda Singh and three other co-founders of Karam Yog - known as the Nottingham Teaching College - have paid out of their own pockets for the £5,250 annual rent at the Hyson Green Community Centre in Gregory Boulevard.
But Mr Singh claims Nottingham City Council is now asking the organisation, which operates from part of the building, to take over the whole venue and cover costs for repairs, utilities and insurance. It is estimated this would cost £50,000.
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Mr Singh now fears the charity is at risk. He told Nottinghamshire Live: "When I started this charity I was a young man - I spent a lifetime here. We are a small charity - and all the burden falls on the trustees. We offer service free of charge to the most vulnerable, no matter their background.
"We offer English courses, Maths and IT classes that are free of charge. We also offer courses for those immigrants who need to pass their Life in the UK exam."
He said all the courses are accredited by an examination board. "We have got people with low skills coming in, and we offer these courses to help them to integrate into the society. We have turned tens of thousands of people into teachers."
When Nottinghamshire Live visited the centre on Thursday, January 26, a couple of women were attending a sewing class in one of the rooms. "We have many community projects, we have cooking classes, we have sewing classes. We are trying to get the community together."
Around 2,500 people turn to the organisation for support every year. Mr Singh said people of 77 nationalities have been accessing their services over the years, including victims of domestic violence, immigrants seeking education, and unskilled people who received training.
"We had to teach people how to sit on the toilet", he added. "In the Muslim community, men refuse to stay around women, so we had to tell them that they have to learn how to be 'part of the club' if they want to stay in this country.
"We turned illiterate people into working, successful teachers. We have changed so many people's lives in Nottingham - and now we are being punished by the City Council for it."
Mr Singh, a Sikh, added: "I have been discriminated. I am mentally and physically disabled - I know what these people are going through. Who is going to help them if we are made homeless?"
The charity previously operated from the Radford Unity Complex, but they were forced to leave due to health and safety concerns. He said his charity has never received public funds, only small public donations.
The initial offer made by Nottingham City Council on October 18 last year was a 54 per cent increase to the current £5250 rent per annum. On January 19, the charity was hit by another offer to take over the whole building and cover all the costs.
Mr Singh added: "We do not have that sort of revenue. This building is 160 years old. It is falling apart if you do not heat it at all times. The repairs to the roof would be very expensive if there is a leak. There is just no way that we can cover the costs from our pensions."
Bakhtawar Sehra, also one of the founders of the charity, added: "To me, it is a very serious matter. We are providing a service that the community so desperately needs. We cannot just leave them."
A Nottingham City Council spokesperson said: “We work closely with community groups and charities, and understand the positive impact they have across Nottingham. Some rent buildings from the Council and provide valued services to local people.
“These have historically been made available on lower rents, but this can place a burden on the taxpayer in terms of the Council retaining responsibility for repairs. As part of our work under the Together For Nottingham Plan, we’re moving towards occupancy agreements more aligned to market rates when they come up for renewal, and where repairs and insurance responsibility are passed to the occupier and rising energy costs are factored in.
“We started talking to Nottingham Teaching College last April as their lease was due to expire in August 2022. We offered a one-year lease at £8,000 but, despite this being below market value, no agreement was reached. The building currently costs the Council around £60,000 per year to run.
“We have engaged fully and fairly with them at all times, trying to be as flexible as possible, and have extended their current Tenancy At Will to ensure the group can continue to run while we see if any other organisations would like to take on the building on the same terms.”
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