Funding for rape crisis service and helpline cut
The Dublin Rape Crisis Centre (DRCC), which runs a 24-hour national helpline, has lost 1% of the Health Service Executive (HSE) grant to help cover its services for the remainder of this year.
Notification of the loss was only received by the DRCC at the end of June, although the cut came into effect at the start of July.
The decision has come as a fresh blow after four years in which the organisation fought for but failed to get an increase in its annual grant of about €1.1 million.
Because of wage increases and the rising costs of overheads, that grant has in real terms decreased in value, and the 1% cut since July has led to fears of what lies ahead next year as the Government has warned of sweeping public expenditure cuts.
Brendan Spring, DRCC chairman, said the HSE grant was never enough but cutting it now was hurting all the more.
“The grant we get from the HSE has been reduced precisely at a time when costs are increasing.
“We live in the real world. We know about budgetary cuts and belt tightening. We are struggling just to keep the doors open for victims and we cannot rely on raffles and volunteers standing on the street. We need the minister for health at the very least to increase our grant just to match inflation. Then we can get on with our job.”
The DRCC costs about €2 million to run each year, close to half of which comes from volunteer fundraising.
