The Irish Examiner revealed yesterday that community projects will have their budgets cut by around 15% in the second half of the year. The cutbacks, which stem from the April budget, follow controversial moves by the Government to radically alter the structures operating the National Drugs Strategy.
This includes the dismantling of the National Drugs Strategy Team (NDST), a high-level management body which brought together, under an independent chairperson, the community, voluntary and statutory sectors.
Among the local drug task forces (LDTFs) most affected by the cuts is the canal communities task force, located in Dublin’s south inner city. This area includes the Dolphin House flat complex, which has been the scene of large-scale intimidation of residents by drug dealers in recent weeks.
Co-ordinator of the task force Tony MacCarthaigh said yesterday: "The cutbacks are massive and we are now in the process of trying to figure out what it means for individual projects. The cuts are massive across all task forces, but we are particularly badly hurt."
He said the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs (CDRGA), which operates the drugs strategy, had only sent out ball-park figures to task forces.
"When you break it down to individual projects it could have very serious consequences for services on the ground. Smaller projects are going to be very badly hit."
He added: "At a time of recession and difficulties we’re having now, the drug problem, the heroin problem, the cocaine problem is going to exacerbate and we won’t have the means to respond effectively to it."
He said that, on top of the cutbacks to task forces, were the cutbacks in HSE drugs services, including the non-replacement of frontline workers, and the growing waiting lists for treatment.
Mr MacCarthaigh runs the Rialto Community Drug Team since it was set up in 1992. The multi-disciplinary team was the first of its kind.
He said he was particularly let down by the dismantling of the partnership approach between the statutory and the community and voluntary sectors, a central feature of the drugs strategy over the last 15 years.
"I can’t stress enough how upset the community and voluntary sector, especially the community sector is, with the abolition of the National Drugs Strategy Team. It was comprised of people who were there a long time, who knew intricacies of the drug situation, whose job it was to work with individual projects, to monitor their funding, to monitor their needs and who decided the funding.
"It had an independent chairperson, who was holding an independent space, which is very important when you are tying to bring community, voluntary and statutory sectors together. Basically, my own personal opinion, this is an assault on communities."
Source: Cormac O’Keeffe, The Irish Examiner, 08/05/2009
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