Supporting People on the Edges £880,000 Comic Relief fund for Northern Ireland Two years funding will be awarded under four key strategic areas; ‘Children Survive and Thrive’; ‘Global Mental Health Matters’; ‘Fighting for Gender Justice’ and ‘A Safe Space To Be’. Michael Hughes, Head of Building Sustainable Communities at the Foundation said, “We’re absolutely delighted to be working in partnership with Comic Relief and we are equally excited by the potentially huge positive impact this funding will have on areas of significant need in Northern Ireland.” “The Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and Comic Relief share a number of core beliefs and priorities which include supporting people on the edges. We will do this by directly investing in communities, highlighting the importance of lived experiences of people in shaping and improving lives and in shifting ownership of power, as well as partnering with others who have greater experience, knowledge and connections..” Working to end destitution for asylum seekers Since 2011 we have been working with Homeplus NI towards ending destitution for asylum seekers who are temporarily outside of the asylum system, and are therefore left without any financial support. This year we have contributed £16,600 which has provided 550 nights accommodation asylum seekers. “Homeplus is the reason I am still alive, the support I receive from Homeplus has been a lifeline from clothing, food and a social network. The staff and volunteers encourage me to still be alive, because of them I always know I have a place to go and somewhere to get the help. The place and people who work in Homeplus are a blessing. They have the ability to help us and treat us all with respect. This is from the bottom of my heart.” Maryama Yuusef 19
20 Publizr Home