What does 2015 have in store for Home-Start Down District?
Like many other charities in recent years, Home-Start has had a difficult financial time facing many hard decisions on the delivery of its services across the area writes Iwan Hynds.
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Iwan Hynds, 6th year student at the Down High School on work experience with Down News, chats to Downpatrick Home-Start Down District Co-ordinator Dorothy McMullan.[/caption]
The charity has struggled through without any significant government funding since 2011. The fact they have doubled their number of families covered at the same time, while still providing the same level of service, is nothing but impressive.
Home-Start is a vibrant local welfare-based charity which provides help and support to parents of families with a child under five years old. They run schemes in Downpatrick, Ballynahinch and Newcastle and the outlying areas for parents and children who may be under considerable pressures to get vital support and respite and sometimes often helping to keep the family together.
They also have a network of a hundred trained and experienced volunteers who have themselves raised children and have therefore first hand knowledge of family life. These visitors befriend the family and provide help, company and respite.
Senior Organiser for Down District Dorothy McMullan said: “Our biggest hope is to resolve our funding crisis to alleviate the pressure and so that we can continue to provide our services. We have applied to the Big Lottery Fund and are optimistic about our chances.
“We are always looking for more volunteers, as we can only support as many families as we have volunteers. Despite the obstacles we are currently facing, we haven’t shut our doors to people in need of help. If you have a child under five and need some support Home-Start is the place for you, ” Dorothy added.
The staff and volunteers of Home-Start are a true credit to themselves. They have worked hard over the last few years to keep their charity afloat in these austere economic times, against tough odds whilst still manageing to expand. Through their dedication they have been able to continue providing home-visiting services to 250 families in the area, with only a budget for just a hundred.
Dorothy said: “Home-Start is an early intervention and prevention group. It costs us £9 per week for every child we work with – that means that for every £9 per week we spend on a child, we are helping to prevent child services having to spend £600 plus weekly on foster care or £2500 if they have to go into residential care”.
Long-term supporter of Home-Start Down District, Rowallene Councillor Billy Walker, commented: “I’ve always been a keen supporter of Home-Start over the years and I firmly believe they are doing a tremendous job of work across our district and their effort needs to be acknowledged.
“Home-Start should be funded by central government through the Department of Health and the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust, and funds should be ringfenced for them. They do save the tax payer hundreds of thousands of pounds each year and incredibly manage to keep going and proving they are a very efficient, cost-effective and hard-working organisation. They are very deserving of our support as a key local organisation delivering an essential service to our area.”
Incredible value for money seems to be the hallmark of Home-Start Down District. An investment in Home-Start is an investment in not just this generation of children, but perhaps the welfare and future of the Down District area itself.
Assuming Home-Start Down District can get the funding they desperately require from the Big Lottery Fund, the next year for this local charity should be a good one and I am excited to see what is around the corner for them in the months to come.
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