It’s time to end charity fundraising in the disability sector

Neasa Hourigan, Finance Spokesperson for the Green Party, has echoed calls from the Disability Action Coalition to properly fund the Section 39 organisations that provide essential disability services. These organisations [1] should be funded on a full cost price model for services delivered as is common practice in other countries and as recommended by the government’s own report [2] into the sector.

Deputy Hourigan, TD for Dublin Central said:

“Voluntary Organisations that provide essential disability services have, for years, been in a financially precarious situation. Underfunded by the government for the full costs of the services they provide these organisations run multi year deficits and rely on the generosity of the public to fund essential services. This is not acceptable.”

“COVID-19 has seen this public fundraising avenue dry up with services seeing shortfalls in their budgets of up to 30%.”

“In addition to near term COVID-19 funding requirement the government needs to implement the recommendations of the report it commissioned into the sector including: dealing with the multi year deficits; funding on a full cost price model; moving to 3-5 year budgets”

• [1] including National Council for the Blind Ireland, MS Ireland, Rehab Group, Cheshire Ireland, Acquired Brain Injury Ireland, Enable Ireland, and Irish Wheelchair Association
• [2] Independent Review Group examining role of Voluntary Organisations, Feb 2019, https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/9b5f87-independent-review-group-examining-role-of-voluntary-organisations/