£2MILLION Fund To Target Deprivation In InverclydeA NEW series of spending projects to help tackle poverty has been agreed by Inverclyde Council.
The £2million fund targets issues raised before the covid pandemic through the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) which identified places across Scotland suffering from poverty.
Inverclyde Council Leader, Councillor Stephen McCabe, said: “Inverclyde was identified as the area with the largest local share of deprived areas and the past year has only compounded how exposed some residents in the area have been.
“While there is a wider debate to be had about areas like ours becoming national priorities for investment, the council is putting its resources to work to support our communities through our covid recovery fund, through our Inverclyde Works jobs recovery programme and through the anti-poverty fund.
“The range of initiatives identified respond to the priorities set out by the community through local engagement and aim to help to focus on issues including employment, business, food and fuel insecurity and in supporting local organisations offering financial help to residents.”
The investment includes spending on:
— Local employment pilots £1,037,000
— Business start-up support £167,000
— School-linked social workers £202,000
— Food insecurity £124,000
— Fuel insecurity £200,000
— Financial Fitness £60,000
— Starter Packs (which supports people entering their first tenancy) £74,000
— Early intervention support and mentoring for families £104,000
— Tail O’ The Bank Credit Union £8,000
