- Frontline and third sector organisations invited to apply
Drug support services are benefitting from a £65 million boost to
drive down the number of drug deaths each year.
Life-saving organisations which help people who use drugs
turn their lives around and offer support to their families are
invited to apply for this Government funding which will help
people on their road to recovery.
The cash will go to initiatives like Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs
Action which was given almost half a million pounds earlier this
year to deliver a “Sharp Response Service” to people in their
homes, ensuring they were given immediate access to advice and
support to help them get back on track.
The money, from the additional £250 million national mission
funding, is being channelled through the Local Support Fund which
is open all year round and two further funding pots, which are
reopening today (20 October) - the Improvement Fund for
organisations delivering residential rehabilitation and
associated services and the Children and Families Fund which
gives financial help to those working with the loved ones of
those affected. All funds are administered through the CORRA
Foundation, a charity which aims to make grants available to
projects which make a difference to people and communities.
Drugs Policy Minister said:
“The number of lives lost to drugs is still too high in Scotland
and these funds are vital for those services working on the
frontline to help those affected and their families.
“These organisations save lives and we want to support them so
they can extend as far into their communities as possible and
offer people the support they need when and where they need it.
“£65 million of the additional £250 million set aside for the
national mission on drug deaths over the course of this
Parliament will go directly to these funds and we are determined
to make every penny count.”
Aberdeen Alcohol and Drugs Action Service Manager Simon Pringle
said:
“The Drug Improvement Fund has allowed ADA to offer a more
flexible service to clients who find accessing mainstream or
statutory services - including treatment - difficult.
“Since receiving the funding we have offered help to over 150
individuals helping them access support, engage with NHS
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT), re-engage with services and
receive sterile injecting equipment.
“We have been able to target those most at risk and see them
quickly – usually the same day - therefore reducing the risks of
overdose or other harms. Without the fund we wouldn’t have been
able to achieve this.”
BACKGROUND
CORRA Foundation – drug
services funds
The Local Support Fund - which supports services to increase
capacity so they can reach more people in their communities -
remains open for applications.
