Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey published her department’s Community Response Plan – setting out 15 actions being taken forward to support the grassroots community response to Covid-19.
The Community Response Plan has been developed in partnership with NICVA. Actions include:
- Providing additional funding to grass roots delivery of support on the ground
- Establishing a dedicated Community Helpline
- Supporting the volunteering effort
- Coordinating the supply of emergency food parcels.
Minister Hargey:
The grassroots response to the Covid-19 outbreak has been an outstanding collective effort and has been providing vital help and support to the most vulnerable in our society since the very beginning of this crisis.
The Community Response Plan sets out the key actions being taken forward by my department, in partnership with community organisations and partners in local government and across the Executive to support this community response.
We are providing coordination, advice, guidance and funding to enable and support the response on the ground.
We will continue to work closely with community organisations to ensure that efforts on the ground are being coordinated, supported and sustained.NICVA is leading on communications and engagement between government and the wide network of local community organisations at this time. They are building a database of active organisations on www.CommunityNI.org which will help us to join up service and make connections.
I want to thank all those volunteers and community workers who are working so hard at the frontline – my department will continue to do all it can to support your efforts."