Charities losing funding from the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) are to receive urgent support from the City of Edinburgh Council.
One-off funding of £2.037m will be provided to 46 organisations and projects across Edinburgh which are working to prevent poverty and support vulnerable residents.
An additional £1m will help six third sector advice providers to support residents to maximise their income through accessing welfare benefits, reducing everyday living costs including debt management and improving access to work.
A grant has also been provided to support the continued development of the Edinburgh Advice Network.
The decision by the Policy and Sustainability Committee this week (Monday 12 May) will allow funds to be released to prevent the closure of a number of organisations and avert the redundancies of many employees.
Decisions on how to allocate an outstanding £423,400 will be made when Councillors meet again later this month (Tuesday 27 May).
The emergency package of support is provided ahead of a long-term review of the relationship between the Edinburgh Partnership, public sector and third sector in Edinburgh, with the aim of improving funding certainty in future years.
As part of this review, the Edinburgh Partnership is asking voluntary organisations, social enterprises and charities to participate in an online consultation. Workshops will also take place in the coming weeks.
Council Leader and Chair of the Edinburgh Partnership, Jane Meagher, said:
“The third sector provides vital support to our local communities, and we need to provide stability to projects which have been put at risk of closure. Our funding will quickly and directly prevent many charities from redundancies and from reducing the very important services they provide.
“While I’m pleased that we’ve reached a decision to prioritise this work – and to make sure we protect more people from entering poverty – we cannot become complacent. We need longer-term change so that organisations like these, and the many residents who rely on them, are at less risk and have greater stability.
“We want to hear about how we can make helping vulnerable people simpler. Please take part in the consultation we’ve recently launched, as the Edinburgh Partnership seeks views on strengthening our city’s third sector.”
In a deputation to Policy and Sustainability Committee, Bruce Crawford, CEO of EVOC and speaking on behalf of the Third Sector Reference Group said:
“The decisions made by Councillors to support these third sector organisations shows a real understanding of the role that the third sector play in communities across Edinburgh.
“The impact that these Resilience Fund payments will make cannot be underestimated in the way that they will support some of the most vulnerable people in our city.
“These grants will provide stability to the organisations in receipt of them and allow them to continue to serve their local communities. Longer term solutions need to be developed, and we are prepared to work with the council in planning for the future, beyond the current financial year.”
Visit the Council’s website for more information about the Third Sector Support Review, the one-off Third Sector Resilience Fund and to access cost-of-living support.
Full list of organisations and projects confirmed to receive urgent funding from the Third Sector Transitional Fund:
1. ACE IT Scotland
2. Art in Healthcare
3. B Healthy Together
4. Bridgend Farmhouse
5. Calton Welfare Services
6. Care for Carers
7. Caring in Craigmillar
8. Community Renewal Trust
9. Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland
10. Drake Music Scotland
11. Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust
12. Edinburgh Community Food
13. Edinburgh Community Health Forum
14. Edinburgh Headway Group
15. Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre
16. Eric Liddell Community
17. Feniks
18. Fresh Start
19. Health All Round
20. Home-Start Edinburgh West and South West (HSEW)
21. LGBT Health and Wellbeing
22. Libertus Services
23. MECOPP
24. Murrayfield Dementia Project
25. Pilmeny Development Project
26. Pilton Equalities Project – Mental Health
27. Pilton Equalities Project – Day Care
28. Portobello Monday Centre
29. Portobello Older People’s Project
30. Positive Help
31. Queensferry Churches Care in the Community
32. Rowan Alba Limited
33. Scottish Huntington’s Association
34. Sikh Sanjog
35. South Edinburgh Amenities Group (SEAG)
36. The Broomhouse Centre (The Beacon Club)
37. Vintage Vibes Consortium
38. The Dove Centre
39. The Health Agency
40. The Living Memory Association
41. The Open Door
42. The Ripple Project
43. The Welcoming Association
44. Venture Scotland
45. VOCAL
46. Waverley Care.
