Community and voluntary organisations have said that today's UK Government funding announcement on the replacement of ESF funding "does not go far enough".
On Friday morning, the UK Government announced a £57million funding package through the UK Share Prosperity Fund to support organisations impacted by the loss of the European Social Fund.
Eighteen projects covering around 100 organisations across the region will receive backing, however, many organisations have said that the funding does not go far enough and is between 35-50% short of what it is needed to support those in need.
Read more: European Social Fund: Around 100 NI groups to benefit from UK fund to replace EU support
Responding to today’s funding announcements by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (DLUHC), Rev. Andrew Irvine, Chair of the Community Sector Peer Group, said: “The stark reality is that today’s funding is half of that previously available. Today’s last-minute intervention by DLUHC will only provide a lifeline for some services.
“This will have a devastating impact on those groups who have not received funding, their staff and those who rely upon them. It will take time to assess the impact of this debacle.
“The indecision of the past four years has shown that there is no strategic, long-term, joined-up thinking by Government in London or Belfast towards employability services or the wider contribution of Northern Ireland’s community sector.
“Getting people into employment saves the taxpayer money. People with jobs are happier and healthier, they’re less reliant on benefits and are less likely to fall into the justice system. That’s an easy case to demonstrate, but because our current approach to government is so disjointed and short-sighted, nobody has acted upon it.
“We’re encouraged that almost 70 MLAs signed a pledge supporting these services, but we need to turn political support into practical support. We need to address the shortfall in funding and start planning now for when this funding round ends in 2025. We need Government rather than individual Departments to work strategically in partnership with the community sector to design and budget for long-term success.
“Perhaps most of all we need functioning political leadership in Northern Ireland to face the reality that public services are broken and that it is the vulnerable who are suffering most. Some staff have already lost their jobs and others are asking whether they can continue to work in such an uncertain climate. Northern Ireland can keep repeating the same mistakes or we can use this as an opportunity to learn and change our approach. ”
Mencap has warned that while the funding announcement will allow them to support some with a learning disability, others will still be left out due to the funding shortfall and have called on the UK and NI Governments to take urgent action to address the gap.
Gráinne Close, the director of Mencap NI said: "Mencap NI welcomes the announcement from Department of Housing, Levelling Up and Communities on the allocation of funding to our sector. The funding will allow us to support some, but not all people with a learning disability due to shortfalls in the funding of up to 35%. We now need central and local government to take urgent action to address the gap, to ensure people farthest from the labour market can continue to access support services in employment and training and be fully engaged in society."
The Bytes Project, which supports thousands of vulnerable young people across Northern Ireland, has said that while it welcomes the announcement of funding this morning, it is vital that a plan is put in place going forward to ensure that the community and voluntary sector is supported and not waiting until the last minute for funding.
Stephen Dallas, CEO of the Bytes Project said: "The announcement has been very bittersweet, because while we are part of a consortium that has been successful, we don't feel like this is something that we can celebrate because we know how this is going to impact other organisations and groups that haven't been.
"We appreciate that the UK Government has increased the funding but there is still a long way to go and we need to have some strategic direction from the UK and NI governments so that we are not finding ourselves in the same position next year, waiting until the very last minute to see if we will be viable.
"There needs to be a clear direction in how we are supporting vulnerable young people, who are often the furthest from the labour market and need our help, but at the moment there is no plan in place for them.
"It feels like everything has changed and I have never seen anything like this before and much more needs to be done to shorten the investment gap."
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