The enforced closure of addiction charity Focus could have dire consequences for Bermuda’s marginalised citizens, say three men saved from the brink by the organisation.

In The Royal Gazette on Wednesday, Focus founder Sandy Butterfield revealed that the Hamilton-based charity is facing closure due to a lack of financial support.

Founded in 1993, Focus has helped numerous people in the throes of addiction, offering services ranging from a hot drink to accommodation.

However, the charity needs $450,000 a year to continue its work — and is urgently appealing for help to stay afloat.

One 36-year-old Pembroke man, who gave his name as Jerome, warned that without Focus, “addicts wouldn’t stand much of a chance”.

“Who would be there to help them? Nine out of ten times, they wouldn’t manage to get clean,” he told this newspaper.

Jerome, who began using heroin aged 13 and started committing crimes at 16 to fund his addiction, continued: “I’ve spent a lot of my life in jail, 12 years in total.

“And then every time I started using drugs again, I became homeless, as I couldn’t support my habit.”

After entering a Focus treatment plan, Jerome has recently marked two years of sobriety and now holds a full-time job in the hospitality industry. He lives at the Focus headquarters and is looking to acquire his own apartment.

“Treatment got me clean and gave me the chance to be away from everything except myself, and to work my way back into the community,” he said.

“Without somewhere safe for me to go, I doubt I would have made it. It’s going to be a big injustice to the community if Focus shuts down.”

Alvin Hayward, from Warwick, began using crack cocaine at the age of 25.

His habit gradually ballooned, costing him up to $400 a day and resulting in weekend-long drug binges.

After decades of struggling with his addiction, Mr Hayward went to Focus six years ago hoping to overcome his demons and rebuild bridges with his family.

“Focus is a place of refuge. It’s a stepping stone that gets you to treatment,” said the 61-year-old grandfather of four, who now lives and volunteers at the centre.

Since becoming clean, Mr Hayward says his life has changed immeasurably for the better.

“My relationship with my family is now great, and my children are happy and proud of their dad.”

However, he is deeply unhappy about the prospect of Focus closing down.

“It’s a hurting feeling,” he said. “We just need some more community spirit. There’s no other place on the Island which supports people like Focus does.

“Where’s everybody going to go if Focus shuts down?”

Another Pembroke man, calling himself Spence, first encountered Focus 18 years ago when a fellow drug user suggested they drop by for a cup of tea before their next fix.

“That planted a seed,” said the 49-year-old, who was addicted to crack cocaine and used various other drugs. “After that I began stopping by Focus, even to get some water, which actually kept me alive.

“It was so safe that even when you had a confrontation with someone on the streets and you really didn’t want to bump into them, you could go to Focus and it was a safe place.

“Even the street dealers respected Focus, they wouldn’t go there even if they needed to see someone who owed them money. Sandy had that respect in place.”

After getting clean five years ago, Spence now has a full-time warehouse job and his own property in Happy Valley.

He says that none of this would have been possible without Focus, which has helped him recover every step of the way.

“If Focus went missing, it would leave a hole inside of me,” said Spence. “I consider myself a big part of the Focus family. Because of my gratitude for what Focus has done for me, I will do anything in my power for them.

“Without Focus, I honestly believe I would be dead.”

Meanwhile, Lynn Spencer, who lost her son Christopher to drug addiction in 2012, said: “Addiction is a disease of the brain — it isn’t down to laziness or anything else, and it affects all levels of the community, not just people on the street,” said Mrs Spencer.

Her son Christopher, a reporter at The Royal Gazette, died at the age of 25 after battling an addiction to heroin.

“People need to realise that addiction is a social problem, not just the addict’s problem,” added Mrs Spencer.

“When an addict is ready for help, they need it immediately. That’s what Focus offers.”

A Ministry of National Security spokesman said in a statement yesterday: “The Ministry of National Security is keenly aware of the issues faced by Focus.

“The Government has supported Focus through annual grants and additional funds through the ‘Cash Back for Communities’ initiative.

“We have committed to working with Focus to devise a sustainable model for their operations.

“Their work is critical to achieving change in the lives of those impacted by alcohol and drugs.”