A centre offering support to 250 people with HIV and Aids is to close after more than twenty years.
The Open Door Centre in Kemptown will close in six months, leaving people who use the service unsure of where to turn.
Open Door employs seven people and provides services to people with HIV from all over Sussex. Services include one-to-one support, advice on welfare and benefits rights, a specialist women's, children and families service, complementary therapies and group workshops.
It is funded by the Diocese of Chichester which has taken the decision to close the centre.Reverend Barry North, from the Diocese of Chichester, said: "The decision to close is very regrettable. It's heartbreaking for regular service users. Unfortunately there is no other comprehensive service such as Open Door. It is unique in Brighton and Hove, and maybe the whole country."
Rev North said that the nature of living with HIV is changing and improvement in treatments means that being HIV-positive has become more about living with a manageable long-term condition.
He said a growing number of people with HIV no longer needed regular support but specific services that could be accessed when needed, making services such as Open Door less viable.
