Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department introduced specific supports, interventions and funding packages in response to Covid-19, having assessed the emerging needs of urban and rural communities impacted by Covid-19. My Department was also instrumental in setting up the local authority community response forum, or community call forums, which had a particular focus on vulnerable people in our communities. A review of the effectiveness of these forums carried out by the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, concluded that the work and processes developed through community call have been effective in delivering support to vulnerable groups during the pandemic.

Other supports provided by my Department at that time included the Covid-19 stability fund, which supported 863 organisations in 2020 and 2021 with total funding of approximately €48.8 million. In 2020, €4.2 million was provided under the Covid-19 emergency fund, which targeted help at groups participating in the Government's community call initiative. The community enhancement programme provides vital supports to assist local groups to reopen their facilities post Covid-19. The programme provided €4.5 million funding in 2021 for small capital grants for the improvement of facilities. In November 2021, I launched the community activities fund. This €9 million fund was provided to support community and voluntary groups impacted by Covid-19 to help them with their bills and maintenance.

A number of the rural schemes delivered by my Department were also adapted to assist communities respond to the pandemic, including through accelerated funding under the town and village renewal scheme for measures such as outdoor meeting spaces and public dining areas. In 2020, the CLÁR programme placed a particular focus on supporting communities to deal with the impact of Covid-19. The scheme was broadened to allow projects that helped adapt community facility environs. The community services programme, CSP, which is also funded by my Department, supports more than 420 community organisations nationwide. In response to the Covid-19 crisis, my Department developed a €8.95 million CSP support fund to cover the period 2020 to 2021.

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