Help is at hand for anyone struggling in the district

IT has been a challenging few months for people across the district and community support has been more essential than ever, for local families faced with unexpected levels of hardship.

Rural areas have been particularly impacted, with the additional challenges of limited digital connectivity, reduced access to services and social isolation. Local Community Growth Partnerships, working closely with Derry City and Strabane District Council, initiated a widespread community response to the Covid crisis which is still very much operational on the ground meeting the needs of people in rural areas.

As the winter sets in, with the additional financial pressure of Christmas and extra energy and heating costs, the groups are reaching out to those who so far may not have availed of these services, to ensure that anyone experiencing difficulties across the Sperrin and Derg areas is aware that help is there.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Brian Tierney, joined with Strabane Community Project, RAPID and Easylink Community Transport, to encourage people to check out the community support now available.

“A lot of people, particularly the older community and the medically vulnerable have been isolated in rural areas, where the infrastructure simply isn’t there. But there are organisations working around the clock to channel aid to those who need it most. I want to get that message out there and ask everyone to share this information and ensure that anyone who has fallen through the gap can access what they need.”

PARTNERSHIP

A wide range of support is available including information and practical assistance to help people manage finances, access food and medicines, housing rights advice, deal with stress, anxiety or loneliness.

People can even avail of energy efficiency advice, help with cooking on a budget, dietary and nutritional advice, education and training opportunities and much more.

Partnership has been key to the delivery of support in both rural and urban areas, and that has strengthened since efforts began back in spring as Ursula Doherty, manager of the Strabane Community Project, explains, “Throughout that period local community and voluntary groups delivered on a wide range of needs such as food provision, medicines, various activity packs, telephone engagements, wellbeing programmes and counselling services – to name just some of the broad spectrum of services delivered.

We are now using that experience of partnership working to pilot the delivery of a new Access to Food/Community Recovery Programme in Strabane Town and the Derg and Sperrin areas. This programme, which is funded by the Department for Communities and administered by council, will provide more a holistic wraparound services that help to deliver improved longer term outcomes for people.”

Strabane Community Project has restructured the free phone helpline previously operated through the lockdown period. The helpline service will be named the ‘Community Helpline Hub’ and will act as a single convenient contact for people living across Strabane Town and the Rural areas of Sperrin and Derg DEAs. The helpline will provide a free confidential and easy to access centralized phone system housing both local and regional support/advice services under one Community Helpline Hub.

• These services and other forms of support can be accessed through a free phone helpline (0800 472 408) operated by Strabane Community Project Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. The service is free to residents who need assistance.