Youth centre fears cutbacks

Dublin People 27 Nov 2011

Brian Murphy (foreground) of John Bosco Youth Centre with youth workers Rhonda McGovern and Anthony Young, and junior leaders Shauna Keating, Jessica Mooney, Stephanie Dunne and Roisin McCann. PHOTO BY DARREN KINSELLA

MANAGEMENT at one of the largest youth facilities on
the Southside has accused the Government of threatening its ability to deliver
services.

The St John Bosco Youth Centre on Davitt Road in
Drimnagh primarily caters for young people in the area.

But the not for profit centre, which offers free and
low cost services, also caters for the elderly and other marginalised groups
such as the intellectually disabled.

Funding for the centre from several different agencies
has been significantly cut since 2008.

An analysis of the cuts reveals that this year the
centre received 31 per cent less funding from the HSE for its afterschool programme
than it got in 2008.

There has also been a 14 per cent cut in funding since
2008 from the Office of the Minister for Drugs for the Somewhere to Go
programme operated by staff at the centre.

Brian Murphy, manager at the youth centre, said the
facility faces having to unnecessarily reduce its services because State
agencies have failed to adopt any long-term strategies when implementing the
cuts.

“What should happen within any of the funding agencies
is that they should look and see what they are getting for their money,

? Mr
Murphy told Southside People.

Mr Murphy said if Government agencies continue to use
funding cuts as a blunt instrument to reduce their own budgets without any
long-term analysis of how the various services would be affected, then the
infrastructure at the centre would be damaged.

He noted that the concerns of management were voiced
at a recent public meeting, which was well attended by local politicians and
local residents

“Across the board we suffered about a 16 per cent cut
last year,

? he said.

“If we get anything over a five per cent cut this year
we will have to let staff go, we will have to reduce the hours that we are open
and we will probably then have to start increasing the costs for the voluntary
groups or sports groups that use the centre here.

Dublin South Central TD (SF) Aengus O’Snodaigh has
called on the Government to protect funding for the centre.

A spokesman for the Department of Children and Youth
Affairs said its Youth Affairs Unit is reviewing the allocation of funding with
a view to ensuring more efficient management and value for money as well as
ensuring that the funding provided is both quality and outcomes focussed.