The Fairer Aberdeen Board has distributed £1.5million allocated by Aberdeen City Council to tackle poverty and deprivation across the city.
The funding supports the third sector to deliver services and to work in partnership with statutory services to address poverty. It provides for adults and young people, to support people into work, to maximise incomes, to promote better mental health and wellbeing, support for vulnerable families and young people, and to build stronger, safer communities.
Chair of the Fairer Aberdeen Fund Board, Councillor Alex McLellan said: “The Fairer Aberdeen Fund has provided funding to a range of community groups and charities who will make a real difference to the lives of people living in Aberdeen.
"The work of the organisations funded by the Fairer Aberdeen Fund to tackle poverty is needed now more than ever as people across Aberdeen continue to deal with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis.”
Funding was awarded to 38 initiatives including Pathways to Employment, Station House Media Unit, Community Food Initiative North East (CFINE), Aberdeen Foyer, and Home-Start.
Priority neighbourhoods are among those that will benefit, with community projects in Tillydrone, Middlefield, Printfield and Seaton awarded funding to provide support and services for communities experiencing poverty.
Jody Reid, a Community Board member from Northfield, said “The Fairer Aberdeen Fund is important for the city as it lets local people make decisions on funding that has an impact on their local communities.
“As a community member on the Fairer Aberdeen Board I can help make a difference to the priority neighbourhoods of Aberdeen. There are many communities in Aberdeen that are facing deprivation and disadvantaged, and the Fund can help alleviate some of the struggles people face by giving organisations funding to help with various issues.”
In the 2023-24 round of allocations, funded organisations achieved:
- 51,445 people supported
- 827 volunteers and 139,495 hours of time volunteered
- 249 people into work and 965 people involved in employability programmes
- 5,473 people receiving money advice
- £2.3m client financial gain
- 4,969 children and young people supported
- 135 parents & families with complex needs supported
- 255 young people accessed 2,127 counselling sessions