24 March 2019
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Cork East Fine Gael TD and Minister of State at the Department of Justice, David Stanton, has welcomed confirmation that total funding of €435,262 will be allocated between six local community organisations under the 2019 Community Services Programme (CSP).
The CSP is funded by the Department of Rural and Community Development and supports community-based organisations delivering vital services through a social enterprise model. The funding provides a fixed contribution towards the cost of employing a manager and/or an agreed number of full-time equivalent positions (FTEs). The CSP provides €19,033 per FTE and €32,000 per manager with the contribution based on a 39 hour working week.
CSP funding has been allocated to the following six community-based organisations in Cork East under the 2019 programme:
Organisation – Funding allocation
Avondhu/Blackwater Partnership – €72,266
Carrigtwohill Community Council – €40,266
Cloyne Diocesan Youth Services – €89,099
Cobh (Great Island) Community Centre – €72,266
Midleton My Place – €72,266
Youghal Communications Company – €89,099
Total – €435,262
Speaking after confirmation of the funding, Minister Stanton said “The programme is immensely important in supporting community organisations in the provision of local social, economic and environmental services. Eligible organisations are supported under three strands: community halls and facilities, community services for disadvantaged communities and community organisations employing people distant from the labour market.
“I am delighted that this funding will further aid the fantastic work of these six organisations in their local communities across the constituency by providing a contribution towards staff costs. The Community Services Programme provides support to enable these organisations to meet local service gaps and provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise generally be unavailable”.
More than €46m was allocated nationwide under the programme in 2018, supporting roughly 1,650 FTEs and 300 manager positions while a similar national funding total has been confirmed for this year.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring TD, has also recently appointed Indecon Consultants to carry out an independent review of the programme to ensure that is more closely aligned with current department and Government policy and better placed to meet community needs.