Minister announces £1500 Cost of Living Support for Voluntary and Community organisations

Communities Minister Gordon Lyons has announced support for 287 Voluntary and Community organisations, funded through his department’s Voluntary & Community Division (VCD) and Community Empowerment Division (CED).

Minister Lyons visited Kilcooley Women’s Centre in Bangor, which is one of the many organisations to benefit from this support.

The Minister said,

“I remain acutely aware of the challenges that persist within the voluntary and community sector due to the ongoing cost of living crisis. Organisations continue to face significant cost-of-living pressures as running costs continue to increase and the impact can be significant for the most vulnerable in our communities, at a time when demand for services and support remains high. The groups that will benefit from this funding are at the forefront in the delivery of key services across many of our most at-risk communities.”

The Minister continued,

“I hope this funding will go some way to help these vital organisations keep their doors open and ensure that services continue to be delivered in a safe and comfortable environment. My department and I remain committed to ensuring they are supported to enable them to continue to provide vital services to the most vulnerable in Northern Ireland.”

Details regarding the 287 voluntary and community organisations anticipated to benefit from these payments are available

Notes to editors: 

1. Photo Caption: Communities Minister Gordon Lyons is pictured during a visit to Kilcooley Women’s Centre in Bangor with Tracey Harrison, Centre Manager & Head of Childcare Services; Alison Blayney, CEO; Lynne Bloomfield, Head of Business & Digital Transformation; and Sarah Collyer, Education & Training Manager at the Centre.
2. There are 287 Voluntary and Community organisations anticipated to benefit from these payments with the aim of supporting continued delivery of key services across some of our most vulnerable communities. The Department for Communities will contact those eligible organisations funded through V&CD and CED in the coming days to advise and make necessary arrangements.
3. The decision to provide this payment will enable most funded organisations to receive payments week commencing 25 March 2024.
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