Today’s launch of a revitalisation programme for disadvantaged communities has been welcomed by the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed as the first major social-inclusion measure to come out of the Programme for Partnership and Fairness.
The Revitalisation Areas by Planning, Investment and Development programme targets 25 deprived urban areas for special treatment to help improve the standard of living in those communities.
Launched by the Taoiseach Mr Ahern, the programme will make £5 million per year available to local community and development groups in partnership with state agencies in 25 targeted areas to invest in social-inclusion measures.
According to Ms Noeleen Hartigan of INOU, the idea is to "frontload" the National Development Plan funding so groups already working in the localities can decide how the money can be best spent to meet the needs of their community.
"It means local community groups can access NDP funding quicker," Ms Hartigan said.
Targeted investment in the disadvantaged communities that had disproportional unemployment and poverty was a priority demand when INOU entered the PPF talks, she said. This is the first endorsement of that requirement, she noted.