Lowry welcomes the news that Tipperary are to receive €1,208,587 Funding in the Sicap 2020 Funding Allocations

I am very pleased to welcome the news from Minister Michael Ring that a total of €39.2m funding has been allocated for 2020 for the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Government’s primary social inclusion intervention. This represents a 3% increase on 2019 funding for the programme. The total SICAP 2020 Funding allocation for Tipperary is €1,208,587.

Michael Lowry TD

North Tipperary will receive €555,482

South Tipperary will receive €653,105.

SICAP, which is co-funded by the European Social Fund, supports unemployed people, people living in deprived areas, people with disabilities, single parent families, and people on low income, members of the Traveller and Roma community and other disadvantaged groups. Almost 32,000 people were assisted by the programme in 2018.

This increase underpins this Government’s on-going commitment to social inclusion and community development. SICAP works to tackle poverty, social exclusion and long-term unemployment through supporting local engagement and partnership between disadvantaged individuals, community organisations, public sector agencies and other stakeholders.

Since 2018, with support from SICAP:

· 16,502 people completed a lifelong learning course

· 4,024 people set up their own business and 2,168 got jobs

· 334 social enterprises were supported

· 3,066 community groups were helped

· Over 43,00 people were supported of which 40% were from a jobless household and 31% were long term unemployed

The programme will continue to reach out to help those who need it most in the most disadvantaged areas, urban and rural, and encourage and support people towards mainstream services.

Programmes such as SICAP make a real difference to communities on the ground, especially those groups and individuals in our communities that are marginalised and suffering disadvantage.