A
VITAL Northside community programme that works with persons recovering from
drug misuse is facing an anxious wait to hear whether it will receive funding
to continue its work in 2012.
Pat
Hanna, general manager of Rehabilitation and Support Programme (RASP), based in
Belcamp, warned of the implications for the community if funding wasn’t
forthcoming and it had to close.
“The
clients would literally be out in the street,
? Mr Hanna told Northside People.
“Without
a support programme it would be very difficult for participants to
rehabilitate.
“RASP
is the only rehabilitation programme in the Dublin 17 area. There is no other
agency in the area that RASP can refer to.
“Without
the programme these people would be forced out on the streets.
“This
would have huge implications and would mean an increase in the crime rate, and
more misery for the drug misuser, their families and the community they live
in.
?
Mr
Hanna said they were
“very concerned
? about whether they will receive funding
from the Department of Education and Skills for next year.
“The
department have given us no indications that we will be funded in 2012,
? he
stated.
“So far discussions with them have not been hopeful.
“In
2010, the department reduced our funding by a third. The grant we received in
2010 and 2011 is
?¬138,848.
“It
has been difficult to keep the programme going with this level of funding. This
represents good value for money.
“We
provide a highly professional level of care and support to 18 drug misusers on
our rehabilitation programme.
“The
department has told us that we should receive word in September if we will be
funded for 2012.
?
Mr
Hanna said he wasn’t sure of the exact figures but believes it costs over
?¬100,000
to keep a prisoner in jail for a year.
“In
contrast,
?¬130,000 to keep 18 drug misusers out of prison and help them
reintegrate into their communities seems good value for money and money well
spent,
? he argued.
RASP
invited Lord Mayor of Dublin, Cllr Andrew Montague, to visit the project
recently to witness first-hand the work being carried out by the project.
“We
invited the Lord Mayor to visit us to raise our profile and to make politicians
and the general public more aware of our existence,
? Mr Hanna added.
“We
also wanted the Lord Mayor to present an award to chairperson of RASP, Kevin
Behan, who has worked voluntarily in the community for 20 years.
?
Since
RASP’s inception in 1998, over 200 people have passed through its
rehabilitation programme.
There
are 30 people employed at RASP, including participants who receive an
allowance, part-time staff and three full-time staff.
A
spokesperson for the Department of Education and Skills told Northside People:
“RASP provides a programme which has both an educational content and a
rehabilitation emphasis.
“In
the current year, the Department of Education and Skills (DES) is providing
?¬138,847
in funding for the programme.
“This
is the same as the 2010 allocation for the project.
“The
DES funding primarily goes towards the cost of one staff salary, the cost of
leasing a premises and other programme/overhead costs.
?
The
spokesperson said a departmental review of RASP is currently under
consideration within the department.
“A
decision regarding the provision of an allocation to RASP in 2012 will be taken
in the context of the overall budgetary process for 2012,
? the spokesperson
added.