St Kieran’s Community Centre has been awarded €19,000 in funding by the Government as part of a national initiative to support community centres and non-profit companies.
The funding is part of a €3.2 million roll-out by the Department of Social Protection to support the operation of community centres and facilities for 91 not-for-profit companies nationally. Fine Gael TD for Longford-Westmeath, Gabrielle McFadden, has welcomed the news and claims the money will be put to extremely good use. She praised the work community centres do and the supports they provide to families in local communities.
“Community centres work at the heart of our community and offer a range of family and community supports,” she says. “They could not operate without the financial support from the Government’s Community Services Programme, which enables centres to open and supports quality services to everyone in the area.”
Deputy McFadden also noted the employment opportunities community centres provide to people from disadvantages groups: “The Community Services Programme supports the provision of employment opportunities for people from disadvantaged groups by working with community organisations that operate on a community business or social enterprise basis.
“Employment is targeted at people with disabilities, long-term unemployed people, Travellers, lone parents, and rehabilitated drug users. The programme directly supports approximately 2,700 people in employment nationally and a further 500 employees indirectly.”
