Ó An Roinn Forbartha Tuaithe agus Pobail
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Mr Michael Ring TD, the Minister for Rural and Community Development , has announced that 22 new organisations are being supported through his Department’s Community Services Programme (CSP).
The funding allocated to these 22 new organisations for 2020 amounts to c. €1.5 million and will contribute towards 17 managers and 50.5 full time equivalent (FTE). This brings the number of organisations beings supported through the CSP to 422.
Minister Ring has also announced additional funding, of over €1 million, for 28 organisations already partaking in the programme in order to support additional staffing resources. This funding will contribute to the salaries of 9 additional managers and 44.5 additional FTE positions in these organisations.
The CSP supports community-based organisations to provide vital local services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of employing staff. CSP typically supports organisations to meet local service gaps and provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise generally be unavailable. Almost €47 million will be provided under the Programme in 2020.
Minister Ring said:
“This funding will support invaluable work in local communities throughout the country. It is a lifeline for groups that support vulnerable and disadvantaged people.
“CSP provides a contribution towards the cost of staff to community-based organisations which provide a wonderful service to people. This funding enables organisations to provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise generally be unavailable.
“CSP funded services can be found the length and breadth of the country, particularly in disadvantaged communities where public and private sector services are lacking, for example, due to geographical or social isolation or because of lack of demand.
“I have to thank the management and staff of all the CSP supported organisations for carrying out the work they do in their local communities.”
Indecon Consultants are carrying out an independent review of the CSP, and are currently finalising their report. The Minister expects to receive the final report in the coming weeks, which will help inform any decisions on the future shape and structure of the programme.
See details of funding here
The CSP currently supports community-based organisations to provide local social, economic and environmental services through a social enterprise model, providing a contribution towards the cost of staff in CSP organisations. It typically supports organisations to meet local service gaps and provide access to services and facilities that would otherwise generally be unavailable. Eligible organisations are supported under three strands –
Strand 1 – Community Halls and Facilities
Strand 2 – Community Services for Disadvantaged Communities
Strand 3 – Community Organisations Employing People Distant from the Labour Market.
The CSP is not a labour activation programme and funding is provided to community organisations as 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. The contribution is based on a 39 hour working week. More than €46m is allocated to the programme in 2020, supporting approx. 1,650 FTEs and 300 manager positions.
The contribution is not aligned with the minimum wage and CSP supported organisations are expected to contribute to the cost of the funded positions and pay a reasonable and adequate rate of pay in line with market rates. At a minimum, organisations are expected to meet the minimum wage for all FTE positions.