FORTH Neighbourhood Network will meet online tomorrow evening at 6pm.
AGENDA
Welcome & Apologies
Notes of Meeting of 19th January 2022 and matters arising (circulated)
Forth NN Neighbourhood Environmental Programme (NEP) HRA update – George Norval / David Delargy
Forth NN current Priority: Poverty, including food poverty update – Biddy Kelly, Response and Recovery Group
Community Grants Fund – review of the past year plus funding panel decisions
Any other Business
Dates of Next Meetings: 22nd June 2022, 14th Sept 2022, 14th Dec 2022.
For further information please contact Elaine Lennon, North West Lifelong Learning Development Officer, telephone 529 5270, email Elaine.Lennon@edinburgh.gov.uk
Prices are rising at the fastest rate in 30 years, and energy bills alone are expected to rise by 50% in April. We are all feeling the pinch but the soaring costs of essentials will hurt low income families, whose budgets are already at breaking point, most.
There has long been a profound mismatch between what those with a low income have, and what they need to get by. Policies such as the benefit cap and benefit freeze have left many struggling. Families are still reeling from the £20 cut to Universal Credit last October. And, though benefits will increase by 3.1% in April, inflation is projected to be 6% by then. This means yet another real terms cut to incomes.
The government must respond to the scale of the challenge. Immediate targeted protection to prevent serious hardship is essential, but short-term support will not be enough in the face of ongoing inflation.
The government should increase benefits by 6% in April and ensure support for housing costs increases in line with rents. All those struggling, including families affected by the benefit cap, must feel the impact.
Much more is needed for levels of support to reflect what people need to get by. But, in taking these first steps, the government will prevent the gap from getting wider and lay the foundation to further strengthen our social security system that protects us from poverty.
Signed by:
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group
Graeme Cooke, Director of Evidence and Policy, Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Emma Revie, Chief Executive, The Trussell Trust
Imran Hussain, Director of Policy & Campaigns, Action for Children
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director, Age UK
Sarb Bajwa, Chief Executive, British Psychological Society
Joseph Howes, CEO, Buttle UK
Leigh Elliott, CEO, Children North East
Laurence Guinness, Chief Executive, The Childhood Trust
Paula Stringer, CEO, Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
Niall Cooper, Director, Church Action on Poverty
James Plunkett, Executive Director of Advice & Advocacy, Citizens Advice
EVOC is inviting Edinburgh-based charities and local good causes of all sizes, to attend the Good Cause Launch Event on Thursday 9th September at 2pm, where you will get a chance to find out more and sign up.
How the Lottery Works:
Tickets for the Edinburgh Community Lottery will cost £1. A whopping 60p (compared to just 25p from tickets by the National Lottery) from every ticket goes towards local good causes.
There will be a weekly draw with a jackpot of £25,000 for a matching sequence of six numbers. The other prizes on offer include: £2500, £250, £25, or three free tickets!
There are two parts to the Edinburgh Community Lottery scheme:
Good causes across Edinburgh will be able to set up their own lottery page, receiving 50p from every £1 spent by players. A further 10p from every £1 will go into an EVOC good causes fund, with the remainder being put towards prizes, operating costs, and VAT.
Players who do not wish to support a specific cause can still take part in the Edinburgh Community Lottery, with 60p from their ticket going into the general EVOC good causes fund, which will then be distributed by the organsation.
EVOC’s Deputy Chief Executive, Ian Brooke, said: “We’re really excited to be launching the Edinburgh Community Lottery, a new way to support communities and good causes in Edinburgh.
“While the past eighteen months have thrown a spotlight on the amazing work of community groups and voluntary organisations everywhere, it has also stretched staff, volunteers, and resources up to and beyond breaking point.
“That, combined with the loss of fundraising activities in light of Covid restrictions, means that the Lottery is a really important new opportunity for good causes to raise money, making sure they can continue to support citizens and communities across our city.”
If you would like to find out more, get in touch with the Edinburgh Community Lottery team at EVOC: communitylottery@evoc.org.uk
Frontline services for women and girls affected by gender-based violence will receive £5 million to deal with additional pressures that have occurred during the pandemic.
The funding will go to rape crisis centres and domestic abuse services to cut waiting lists, helping to ensure those affected can access the support they need more quickly. The increased support fulfils one of the commitments for the first 100 days of this government.
It will comprise approximately £4.5 million to be split between Scottish Women’s Aid and Rape Crisis Scotland, and a total of £500,000 for 12 other specialist support services and organisations.
Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Violence against women and girls is one of the most devastating and fundamental violations of human rights and is totally unacceptable.
“We recognise the vital work that local women’s aids and rape crisis centres do day in, day out to support women and girls, including throughout the pandemic, and I know demand for these services has increased. This in itself is appalling and I am determined to support rape crisis centres and domestic abuse services, which provide a lifeline for many women and girls.
“As the need for these services has grown in this most difficult of times, this funding will help survivors, and those at risk, to access specialist support when they need it most.
“We will continue to encourage survivors to report their experience and seek support they need.”
Dr Marsha Scott, Scottish Women’s Aid Chief Executive, said:“We have seen a huge increase in demand for support from survivors of domestic abuse and the impact from this is already being felt as our waiting lists are growing.
“This funding from the Scottish Government will help us manage this higher demand and reduce these waiting lists, allowing more accessible support for survivors.
“For us, this is an opportunity to bridge funding between Coronavirus (COVID-19) emergency funding and a new funding system based on need, rather than historical arrangements.”
Sandy Brindley, Rape Crisis Scotland Chief Executive, said: “Seeking support after sexual violence can be an incredibly difficult thing to do, and it’s so important that when people do feel able to reach out, that specialist services are resourced to be able to provide the support that is often described to us by survivors as life-saving.
“This funding – in conjunction with the new Delivering Equally Safe fund – is a very welcome and much-needed investment in local Rape Crisis services, but our approach must be sustainable. It is only through a strategic and co-ordinated approach that we will be able to make sure that survivors across Scotland are able to access the support they deserve, at the point of need.”
Full list of organisations receiving funding:
Aberdeen Cyrenians
Barnardos
Committed to Ending Abuse
Domestic Abuse and Sexual Assault Team – West Lothian
Dumfries and Stewartry Women’s Aid
Fife Women’s Aid
Grampian Women’s Aid
Kingdom Abuse Survivor’s Project
Moray Women’s Aid
Rape Crisis Scotland
Saheliya
Scottish Borders – Children First
Scottish Women’s Aid
West Dunbartonshire Council Support Service
This latest funding comes on top of £5.75 million allocated in 2020-21 to help redesign frontline services to ensure they are best equipped to handle the additional pressures of the pandemic.
The Scottish Government is also providing £18 million this year to third sector organisations and public bodies working to end violence against women and girls through our Delivering Equally Safe fund.
Scotland’s 24 hour Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline is available on 0800 027 1234.
Rape Crisis Scotland Helpline is available on 08088 01 03 02. Calls to this number are free. Alternatively email support@rapecrisisscotland.org.uk or text 07537 410027.
In an emergency please call the police on 999.
Further information on the law can be found at safer.scot
Waverley Court Courtyard Coffee Bar/Restaurant area
‘Meet the Funders’ is a free marketplace event providing access to funding information for community projects. It is an opportunity for groups to discuss their ideas with potential funders and collect a range of information about possible sources of grant aid. The event also offers the groups an opportunity to meet and work together.
The following exhibitors have confirmed attendance with more expected:
More than 115 organisations to benefit from Enterprise Ready Fund
Grants totalling £6 million have been awarded to over 115 enterprising third sector organisations, Finance Secretary John Swinney confirmed yesterday. Mr Swinney said that an enterprising third sector is ‘vital’ to Scotland’s future.
Fresh Start, Edinburgh Cyrenians Trust, MY Adventure and The Spartans Community Football Academy (pictured above) are among the Edinburgh organisations to benefit from Enterprise Ready funding (see below for full list of awardees).
The Enterprise Ready Fund fund provides continued support to enterprising third sector organisations across Scotland, building on the Scottish Government’s commitment to promote a sustainable, capable and enterprising third sector.
Mr Swinney said: “We had a great response to the Enterprise Ready Fund and I would like to congratulate all organisations that have been successful in securing grants.
“Each and every one of the recipients are working in their own unique way to become more self-sufficient but more importantly for me, they are creating change at a local level. We can look forward to a future where these organisations play a full role in public service reform.
“We strongly believe that an enterprising third sector is vital to our economy, to civic society and in the creation of a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. That is why we have invested heavily to help the sector develop further.
“Organisations like Move On which operates across Scotland to deliver a range of support and advice services to those affected by or at risk of homelessness are excellent examples of how the sector is helping to create a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. This investment will help them deliver important services and opportunities to people across the country.”
Foundation Scotland’s Chief Executive Giles Ruck said: “We were encouraged by the high volume of applications received and are delighted that the fund is supporting such a variety of enterprising third sector organisations. We look forward with great anticipation to seeing the difference these awards will make in communities throughout Scotland.”
Foundation Scotland (FS) is Scotland’s busiest grant maker, making more awards to charity than any other independent funder. Each year FS clients make over 2,000 payments to charities and community organisations, about a third of which are to organisations recommended by FS.
FS supports a wide range of charities, voluntary community groups and sports clubs, giving clients a great range of causes to donate to and enabling FS to reach a wide range of community activity across Scotland.
A broad spectrum of local projects have received support through Foundation Scotland – from small grants to Pilton Community Gardeners, North West Carers Centre and Davidsons Mains & District Children’s Pipe Band through t0 a £30,000 grant to Pilton Community Health Project to contribute to the cost of a Women Supporting Women development worker. In all, 34 Edinburgh-based charities, community organisations and sports clubs received funding through Foundation Scotland.
For full details of grants awarded (1 July 2013 – 30 June 2014) see below
