North Devon MP welcomes grant for Freedom Centre

£50,000 in Government funding.

The money, totalling £49,221, is part of the Government’s Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund (CCLF), administered by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The centre is run by Freedom Community Alliance and provides emergency shelter accommodation for rough sleepers in cold weather as well as a range of support services for the homeless as well as those struggling with addiction, mental health, poverty, debt and the cost of living.

The £76million CCLF fund is part of a £101.5m package of support for charities and community organisations across England announced by the Chancellor in the Spring Budget.

It provides grants to charities and community organisations delivering critical frontline services, and which are most impacted by increased demand and delivery costs.

The department has also also launched the Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Energy Efficiency Scheme.

The scheme, backed by £25.5m, will provide energy assessments and grants of up to £150,000 to improve the energy efficiency and sustainability of frontline services.

Eligible organisations can apply for the cost and delivery of an independent energy assessment. This will help identify how to reduce bills through measures such as improving or installing new energy features in the building, or changing how energy is used.

These assessments will be useful to organisations whether or not they apply for the second element. This part of the scheme is now open for applications and will remain open until August 2024.

The recent grant for the Freedom Centre has been welcomed by North Devon MP Selaine Saxby. She said: “Fantastic news the Freedom Centre in Barnstaple has been awarded £49,221 from the Government’s Community Organisations Cost of Living Fund.

“Congratulations to the team and for their outstanding work throughout the years in providing a range of support services for homeless people, those suffering from addiction issues, people with poor physical and mental health, debt and poverty and those who simply want to improve their health or improve their life skills in North Devon.

“If you are an eligible charity in North Devon, please do consider applying for the energy grant so that we can ensure that support gets to those who need it most.”

To find out more about the energy efficiency scheme and how to apply, visit https://www.gov.uk/guidance/vcse-energy-efficiency-scheme