Blocks on council cash for faith-based groups 'inadvertent obstacles', says official
Blocks preventing faith-based groups that tackle addiction from getting vital council funding have been described as “inadvertent obstacles” by a Belfast official.
The issue came up at a city council committee meeting this afternoon, after the DUP sparked a review of the authority’s criteria for awarding cash.
Launched back in February, the party cited trouble a body called Teen Challenge went through trying to get public grant funding – at one point being specifically told they couldn’t have any because of their Christian religious affiliations.
Offering outreach, counselling an rehabilitation services to people going through drug and alcohol addiction, the organisation was described by the DUP as “delivering life-saving services without discrimination” yet was stated to face “barriers which inhibit access to public funding streams” available to similar bodies that aren’t rooted in the faith of their organisers.
Council officials have now concluded they don’t have any “unnecessary obstacles that would exclude faith-based organisations” from applying for funding.
Stated a report delivered today: “Whilst it is recognised that the eligibility criteria of certain funding streams might differ slightly due to the nature of that particular funding stream, [the council’s legal services team] has been unable to identify any that would preclude faith-based organisations from applying.”
They specifically said Teen Challenge would be eligible to apply, though would face the same tests as other bodies before they could be awarded any grants.
Discussing the issue, the DUP’s Sarah Bunting maintained barriers did exist in the past – something that was later echoed by Pastor Brian Madden from Teen Challenge, who told the News Letter the group used to face extreme difficulty getting public funding but has recently been able to get hold of some council cash.
During today’s meeting, Ms Bunting pointed a finger at outside bodies the council has used in the past to facilitate or distribute grants, specifically bringing up issues around Covid-era money.
She stated: “We used other organisations and they specifically did say in their criteria that faith-based groups could not apply.
“Moving forward, if we’re going to use any organisations outside of the council to facilitate funding, can we ensure they also have the same criteria the council is using?”
An official agreed to take that on board, stating that making sure all grant terms and conditions are equal is “on the to-do list” while describing such barriers as “an inadvertent obstacle” that the city authority “would not want to promote”.
News that the council doesn’t block faith-based groups was welcomed by several parties – though Sinn Fein proved dismissive of the entire review, the party’s councillor Tomas O Neill describing the DUP’s push for it as something “you could nearly say was a frivolous motion”.
Speaking after the meeting, Pastor Madden reinforced that public funding is absolutely vital to bodies like Teen Challenge.
“It helps us feed and clothe people, pay for flights for treatment, give medical training to our volunteers, it really does mean a lot to us,” he told the News Letter.
He also revealed barriers to grants the body has encountered in the past, stating: “When we applied, we were called religious and told we didn’t fit the criteria. I met with the DUP and Sinn Fein over it, they both agreed we should get funding.
“The next step’s getting this sorted at Stormont.”