Impact of Potential Funding Cuts on Youth Services
A woman who has benefited from an organisation now facing possible funding reductions described the services as "life saving for a lot of young people."
Katie Heagarty-Biggerstaff participated in a protest at Stormont on Monday opposing changes that may result in funding cuts across the voluntary and community sector.
Approximately 64 organisations risk job losses when the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is replaced by the Local Growth Fund on 1 April.
The Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action (Nicva) warned that this change will lead to a "dismantling of community-level expertise" throughout Northern Ireland, expertise that will not be restored.
Heagarty-Biggerstaff, who has a history of being in care, shared with NI how one of these organisations supported her.
"Me and my husband were both on the programme. We say what would we have done without it, we would have been lost.
It actually worries me to think of where we would have been if we didn't have it," Heagarty-Biggerstaff said.
Emotional Response and Personal Experience
After obtaining qualifications, she began a programme with Include Youth, an organisation that assists young people in acquiring new skills.
"These services are life saving for a lot of young people. They changed my life and I know the young people that I am working with, it's making a massive impact."
When asked what message she would convey to politicians, she responded:
"I think people need to fight for us more and show that they care about our services and that they care about the most vulnerable young people instead of leaving them."
"It makes me feel really upset and angry. These are the most vulnerable young people"
Details of Funding Changes
The UKSPF replaced European Union funding, which ended due to Brexit.
The Local Growth Fund will reduce day-to-day funding available to groups in Northern Ireland from £25 million per year to just over £9 million.
This fund is being introduced by Westminster and is overseen by the Department for Housing, Communities and Local Government, representing a significant change in how funding is allocated.
While the Shared Prosperity Fund was comprised of three-quarters resource funding, the Local Growth Fund allocates only one-third to resource funding, with the majority directed towards capital expenditure, which directly affects jobs.
Celine McStravick, chief executive of Nicva, stated that the proposed changes would deliver a "sledgehammer" blow to services supported by this funding in Northern Ireland, including training and employability schemes.
She also warned that up to 400 redundancies could result from these plans.
