Minister O’Brien visits ICON – successful applicant under €1m pilot Community Development Programme

•        Minister O’Brien visits Inner City Organisations Network (ICON) Ltd
•        Based in Dublin North East Inner City
•        One of seven under €1m pilot Community Development Programme

 
Today (1st July 2021) Joe O’Brien TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development visited Inner City Organisations Network (ICON) Ltd, one of seven successful organisations taking part in a recently announced pilot Community Development Programme.
The €1m pilot programme is aimed at trialling community led interventions that address poverty, social exclusion and inequality, and promote human rights.
ICON has been working with marginalised individuals and groups in Dublin’s North East Inner City using community development principles since its inception in 1990. The project put forward by ICON as part of the pilot Community Development Programme will continue this theme by building an awareness among marginalised women in Dublin’s north east inner city regarding the right to adequate housing in the private rented sector.
Minister O’Brien said:
“I am delighted to visit ICON today, one of the organisations that have been successful in receiving funding under the pilot Community Development Programme. I know, and ICON’s previous work underpins this, that communities themselves are best placed to identify needs and to work collaboratively to develop pathways to fully access their rights. It is hugely important that those voices that are most marginalised in society are given opportunities to engage and help develop activities that they know will help enhance their lived experiences and bring their voice to the table when decisions are being made.
“I hope that the work completed by ICON under this project will benefit not only marginalised women in this area, but will also serve as a wider example of how community led interventions can address important issues affecting the marginalised in society such as access to adequate housing.
“As we emerge from COVID-19 we must focus on supporting those most marginalised in order to ensure that the social recovery is as effective as possible in ensuring that nobody is left behind. The launch of this CDP Pilot is a clear signal from government that we are intent on building a recovery from COVID-19 with the most social excluded to the fore.”