My Department funds a number of community development support programmes namely; the community development programme; the family and community services resource centre programme; the programme of core funding to locally based community and family support groups, The purpose of these programmes is to provide seed money to enable community groups to pilot initiatives identified as meeting new and emerging community needs. The mutual aim of all programmes of support operated by my Department is to redress the process of exclusion which undermines local community structures and inhibits the ability of people in disadvantaged communities to participate in society.
To be eligible for funding, groups must subscribe to a self-help community development ethos and must involve intended beneficiaries in the management and design of the project.
Community groups seeking funding under the various programmes of support are required to have an anti-poverty focus and to promote the participation of people experiencing poverty and social exclusion. In assessing applications received under the various schemes, my Department takes account of the extent to which each voluntary or community group, and the particular project for which funding is sought, addresses such poverty and exclusion. Many elderly persons benefit from projects funded by my Department, in particular those at risk of poverty and exclusion. The Department of Health and Children has specific responsibility for the provision of services to the elderly.
