IT PROVIDES vital help and support to hundreds of people living with HIV across Southampton.

But now the Positive Action charity is facing an uncertain future after being the victim of cash cuts.

Positive Action provides emotional support to people who have been diagnosed with the virus.

And although HIV does not spell the death sentence it once did, the social stigma leaves many people living in isolation.

Now the charity fears that the latest city council cuts will mean that they will no longer be able to provide the service to some of the most vulnerable people in the city.

This comes as the only other HIV support charity, Groundswell, closes its doors for the last time at the end of the month.

Groundwell was set up in the 1980s when people were dying two years after diagnosis but following medical advances since they have seen the numbers of service users decreasing.

One service user said: “Losing Groundwell has affected people living with HIV in a great way and now to hear about the closure of Positive Action is devastating.

“Both charities were non-judgemental and it was the only place I felt safe.

“The charity stopped people living with the virus from feeling inadequate and it is going to be very hard for service users, including myself to find support.”

As previously reported in the Echo Southampton City Council needs to find savings of £42.3million by 2020.

The £33,000 funding for the charity is now one of the proposed cuts, which will mean the lifeline service will potentially face closure.

HIV diagnoses in the city and country have reached an all-time high.

The latest figures published by Public Health England this month show the rate of HIV prevalence in Southampton has increased to 2.15 per 1,000 residents, which is in excess of the average figure identified in the national HIV testing policy, indicating that not only is Southampton a higher prevalence area of HIV, but that the situation is worsening.

In 2015 a study of more than 1,500 people living in the UK found that one in seven people living with the illness reported hearing negative comments from a healthcare worker about themselves or other people living with HIV.

Chief executive of Positive Action, Donna Bone said: “Despite the growing number of people with HIV, public knowledge and awareness remains low, with misconceptions about HIV still very prevalent.

“People living with HIV regularly face stigma and discrimination, often in public services. Stigma can have a particularly detrimental effect on the lives of people with HIV.

“It can discourage people from testing and accessing treatment, having a devastating impact on their health and fuelling onward transmission.”

“I am worried about where these service users will go for support of the charity can no longer run and without an income the service would be forced to shut.”

This year 400 people were diagnosed with the life-altering virus in the city and it is thought that 18 per cent of residents may not know that they are infected with HIV.

More than 200 people have been using the support services offered by Groundswell and Positive Action.

Cabinet member for health and sustainable living, Cllr Dave Shields, said: “Major pressures on local authority public health budgets imposed by central government mean that we have to make difficult decisions regarding our local investment priorities.”

However the council assures residents that people living with HIV who meet the eligibility criteria for social care will continue to receive support.

The charity argues that these services may not be sufficient. Positive Action offer a safe and confidential environment where people can speak to professionals as well as peers about living with the virus.