Ursula Toner, Regional Head of Tenant for Choice Housing and Client Services and Cyril Moorhead, Good Relations Officer – Choice Housing.
Local community projects in the Ballymena area will have the chance to apply for £1K funding thanks to a partnership between Choice Housing, the Department for Communities (DfC) and the NI Housing Executive.
The ‘Participatory Budgeting Programme’ aims to give local groups the opportunity to put forward proposals for funded programmes that would benefit the local area.
The Participatory Budgeting Programme is supported through the NI Executive Together: Building a United Community Strategy, which reflects the Executive’s commitment to improving community relations and continuing the journey towards a more united and shared society.
The Nursery Close, Ballymena, shared housing development is also supported by the Department for Communities and the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. £2.3m was invested in the scheme’s development and associated five-year Good Relations Plan.
Cyril Moorhead, Choice Housing’s Good Relations Officer said:
“A key element of this programme is ensuring that community funding is allocated based on need of the local community and who is better placed to deliver this than local community groups and residents themselves.
“They know firsthand what their community needs and how best to deliver it – Choice Housing and partners are committed to facilitating the delivery of tailored initiatives in an effort to strengthen community relations.”
This plan will aim to deliver tailored initiatives for the local community in an effort to strengthen community relations and form new partnerships for the good of the local area.