COMMUNITY RESILIENCE PLANS – COVID-19 Summary Document of the Actions plans for the 5 Urban DEAs

Derry City and Strabane District Council has awarded each Local Community Planning Area £25K to assist with the community response to Covid19. Each of the 5 Urban DEAs of Strabane Town, Moor, Ballyarnett, Waterside and Foyleside have submitted an action plan that has been developed by the Community Resilience Team in each of the 5 DEAs and approved by each of the 5 LCGPBs. A Lead Group has been identified in each DEA to manage the process and manage and implement of the community resilience plan. The Lead group will draw down the funding from Council to ensure that there is a smooth a transition as possible to getting the financial support into the area at a time when financial resources is much needed within the Community & Voluntary sector to respond to the needs within each of the 5 Communities.

DEA Overall Objectives Activities Groups involved Moor Raise awareness of Establish and coordinate a community Triax NPB, Creggan Country Park, individual and community structure to lead and direct interventions Creggan Neighbourhood Partnership, actions to assist with the Old Library Trust, Surestart (All wards within the fight against Corona Virus Direct and lead volunteer actions in connecting Edenballymore, Creggan Enterprise Moor DEA) to isolated people, delivering essential Limited, Dove House Community Trust, Assist isolated and requirements such as meals and medicines Gasyard Development Trust, Triax vulnerable people in Neighbourhood Management Team, accessing essential needs Look at a communication plan for Feile, Bogside and Brandywell Health such as food & medicines connectedness to isolated and vulnerable Forum, Bluebell Arts Project, Bloody people Sunday Trust, Community Restorative Access essential materials Justice, Volunteer Investment Project, such as cleansing materials Develop a mental health approach/strategy in Long Tower YC, Pilots Row, Skills and food context of crisis Northwest, Cathedral YC, Northwest Cultural Partnership Develop a strategy to deal Support staff and volunteers with mental health and well- Lead person: Charles Lamberton (NR being due to isolation, Strategy Manager) anxiety, fear

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Look at creating a process of connectedness between isolated people and family members & friends and wider community

Strabane Town To mobilise a community Establish and coordinate a community Fountain St CDA, Lisnafin Ardnalee response to the ongoing structure to lead and direct interventions Trust CCA, Melmount Community Covid-19 emergency. Forum, Strabane AYE, Strabane (All wards within Meals on Wheels; Good Morning & Community Rescue Service, Strabane Strabane Town) To be able to respond Befriending telecommunications connection; Community Unemployed Group, effectively and quickly to Strabane District Caring Services, people who need help and Food Bank; prescription collection and Strabane Ethnic Community support during the C-19 delivery; shopping for essentials; Association, Strabane Family Support emergency. Volunteer driving Pool; Hub, Strabane Health Improvement Project, Teach na Failte, Advice NI and To set up and operate a ‘One Benefits advice; other Community/One Number’ multiple services dedicated Online Mindfulness & delivery of trusted and Lead Person: Ursula Strabane helpline for those in self- factual information to community; Community Project (Manager) isolation or quarantine and an aid to ensure social Hospital transportation for cancer patients; distancing. volunteer management.

Foyleside The Key objectives of this Organise a community structure to lead and BHCP, Rosemount Resource Centre, plan is to maintain direct interventions The Glen Community Development community structures and Initiative, Community Restorative (All wards within the cohesion to offer leadership, Deliver a localised publicity campaign with Justice Foyleside DEA) assistance and advice to the billboards and posters

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wider community and Lead person: Min McCann (BHCP especially to those most Organise volunteer actions Manager) isolated and vulnerable in  Connecting to isolated people this ever changing crisis  Delivering essential requirements such through a partnership as meals and medicines approach.  Phone engagements We want to ensure that isolated and vulnerable Ensure essentials available to isolated and people have access to vulnerable people in terms of food essential needs such as medicine and food Look at a communication plan for We want to develop the connectedness to isolated and vulnerable concept of physical people distancing but connectedness among families, friends, neighbours, Support staff and volunteers and spread this out to those who may not have families, friends, or neighbours to rely on We want to establish a pool of volunteers across the whole Foyleside DEA to assist with this process

Ballyarnett Raise awareness of  A Community Helpline for residents The Ballyarnett Community Support (All wards within the individual and community living within Galliagh, Shantallow, Team comprises GSAP, Outer North actions to assist with the Skeoge, Pennyburn, Carnhill, Culmore Neighbourhood Partnership / Ballyarnett DEA) fight against Corona Virus and Madam’s Bank area – this helpline Ballyarnett Local Growth Partnership, went live on 19th March 2020, is

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Assist isolated and facilitated by core C&V staff and Shantallow Community Residents vulnerable people in volunteers based at GSAP’s offices at Association, Rainbow Child & Family accessing essential needs Northside Village Centre – and is open Centre, Leafair Community Association, such as food & medicines from Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm On Street Community Youth, (this is subject to ongoing review based Access essential materials on demand). Community Restorative Justice (Outer such as cleansing materials North), Greater Shantallow Community and food https://www.shantallow.net/news/the- Arts, Culmore Community Partnership, ballyarnett-dea-community-helpline Liberty Consortium / Playtrail, Develop a strategy to deal Shantallow Youth Intervention Group, with mental health and well-  Practical Support Service – sourcing Good Morning NW, Resource Centre being due to isolation, and delivering essential supplies to Derry anxiety, fear those individuals and/or families who have been identified as the most Look at creating a processes vulnerable in our community and have Lead Person: Darren Kirby (NR of connectedness between no other form of support at this time – Strategy Manager) isolated people and family this is linked to the Community members & friends and Helpline service and delivery wider community undertaken on a non-contact basis.

 An Appeal has been launched locally for donations – specifically food supplies, baby products, hygiene products etc…. – a central storage and distribution base has been established at Unit M20 Northside Village Centre (Glengalliagh Road, BT48 8NN).

 Networking with local suppliers / businesses / partners to support the

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appeal by providing supplies, stocking and sourcing in-demand products and essential goods.

 Lobbying statutory agencies / Government Departments to access resources and input crucial information into the collective response / learning.

 A social media presence to communicate important information consistent with Government Health Advice / PHA Guidance - aimed at helping vulnerable & self-isolated residents / families.

 Drafting / submitting collaborative bids and applications to statutory bodies / philanthropic trusts for funding to support the wider community response

Waterside (All wards To provide a co-ordinated Raise awareness of actions to reduce the risk Waterside Neighbourhood Partnership joined up approach to of infection through a publicity strategy Hillcrest Trust within the waterside support vulnerable people in Irish Street Community Association DEA) the Waterside during the Organise volunteer actions to ensure Tullyalley Association COVIS-19 crisis Connecting to isolated people, Delivering Caw NDC essential requirements such as meals and Drumahoe To assist isolated and medicines, Phone engagements vulnerable people to support Lead Person: Alison Wallace (NR to access essential items i.e. Ensure essentials available to isolated and Strategy Manager)

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food and medicines vulnerable people in terms of food

To ensure vulnerable people Look at a communication plan for remained connected to their connectedness to isolated and vulnerable communities through a people befriending service

Conclusion The above actions are consistent with Government policy and direction at an Executive Level. A recent directive from DfC Minister Deirdre Hargey stated: The need for additional services over these unprecedented times will need to be broadly considered in the spirit of our existing policy arrangements - People and Place a Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal;

 One of the main goals for People and Place Strategy is ‘to ensure that people living in the most deprived areas have access to the best possible services and to the opportunities which make for a better quality of life and prospects for themselves and their families’. and within the COVID -19 priorities set out in the Ministers recent letter:

 Financial – low income and at risk due to financial stress

 Food - access to food (whether due to cost or availability)

 Connectivity – those living alone or in in rural and border areas that are likely to experience greater challenges in accessing services.

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