Community and Voluntary sector in 'crisis'

The North West Community Network (NWCN) is calling for groups to “come together and amplify their voices around the current community crisis”.

The Network is a representative organisation of the community sector in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area.

Speaking to Derry Now, Roisin McLaughlin, manager of NWCN, said voluntary and community organisations were on the “front line of the cost-of-living crisis”.

She added: “We are supporting people and communities, while at the same time, facing rising demand for their services, ongoing funding cuts and rising operational costs.

“The sector is struggling and failure to act means the most vulnerable in our society will be affected.

“The sector is already experiencing the impact of the end of the European Social Fund and the proposed funding cuts through the Department for Communities (DfC).

“DfC funding for most groups has been reduced to three months, up to June 2023. Many of the groups funded through DfC provide support ranging from vital community and advice services to capacity building support through community networks,” she said.

Ms McLaughlin added: “As government budgets have still not been set this has an impact on other funding sources which the community depends on, such as Derry City and Strabane District Council community funding.

“Despite having been successful in their applications for funding from April 2023 to March 2024, these funds are unable to be released to groups. This funding uncertainty impacts support to groups that provide a lifeline to older people, young people, women, children and families.

“There is a lot of anger and despair among community workers and a lot of frustration around the lack of government leadership.

“There is a feeling that the community sector has become invisible to our political representatives and that there is very much a disconnect between our sector and the political infrastructure,” said Ms McLaughlin, who continued: “As a representative organisation of the community sector in the Derry City and Strabane area, we are calling on all of our members to come together to amplify our voices.”

Roisin McLaughlin added that despite continuing to provide frontline support services during the pandemic and cost of living crisis, the community and voluntary sector was the first to suffer when government cuts were being made.

“The current situation we find ourselves in is having a major impact on mental well-being of the most vulnerable members of our community and the frontline staff working within the sector,” said Ms McLaughlin.

Liam Milligan, Chairperson of NWCN and Director of North West Methodist Mission added: “Our political leaders and government departments are failing our society, our communities and those most in need. The democratic deficit as a result of the collapse of Stormont is unsustainable and completely unacceptable.

“In the wake of hundreds of job losses within the community voluntary sector in recent weeks and a contraction of vital services as a result of the end of the European Social Fund, it is a difficult pill to swallow to have our elected representatives continue to receive pay when they are not in government or fulfilling the function for which they were elected.

“Continually when we face a public funding crisis, the government looks beyond itself to the community and voluntary sector to find savings, when in fact the sector is in many cases the glue that holds the fabric of our society together.

“It is time for the sector to re-evaluate its relationship with the government to avoid the cycle of cuts, uncertainty, and poor treatment we receive every time there is a crisis.

“NWCN will be meeting with members and representatives from the community and voluntary sector to respond to the current crisis.”