Executive summary and key challengesudThis report follows the evolution of community development work with the Travellerudcommunity from the 1980s to the present day; examines the effect of austerity on theudTraveller community in general and the community development work thereinudspecifically; and looks at how community development work with Travellers may bestudbe developed in the future. Four pen portraits of Traveller advocates are included.udThe period from the breaking of the economic and social crisis in 2008 has seen auddramatic disinvestment by the state in the Traveller community. Using theudgovernment’s own figures, it is possible to identify the scale of the austerity cuts, asudfollows, but they should be compared to the overall reduction in government currentudspending of -4.3% over 2008-2013, the baseline.udProgrammes for TravellersudInteragency activities -100%udTraveller education -86.6%udTraveller accommodation -85%udEquality -76.3%udNational Traveller organisations -63.6%udFAS Special Initiative for Travellers -50%udNational Traveller Partnership -32.1%udTraveller SPY youth projects -29.8%udHealth1 -5.4%udProgrammes and funding lines of importance to TravellersudEquality and rights agencies -69%udLocal & Community Development Programme -42.3%udInitiatives against drugs -32.5%udOne of the most striking aspects of these cuts was that statutory agencies did not evenudspend all their allocations, so the picture is even more difficult. This is a table of theudproportions actually spent (and, conversely, the underspend):udSpend UnderspendudHealth 82% 18%udEquality 72% 28%udAccommodation 64% 36%udFAS Special Initiative for Travellers 60% 40%udThe only exceptions to the pattern of cuts were the Traveller social economyudprogramme and the National Traveller Money Advice and Budgeting Service,udwhich show that it is possible to protect or even increase specific budget lines.These figures tell an egregious story of an extraordinary level of disinvestment by theudIrish state in the Traveller community. One can think of no other section of theudcommunity which has suffered such a high level of withdrawal of funding and humanudresources, compounded by the failure of the state to spend even the limited resourcesudthat it has made available.udThe reductions in accommodation and education are especially impactful, granted theudcontinued hardship faced by many Travellers on sites and in poor quality private rented accommodation, and granted the still-wide gap in educational opportunitiesudbetween the Traveller and the settled community. Worrying reports are alreadyudcoming through on the negative consequences for Travellers at school.udIn looking to the future, the report lays out the challenges for community developmentudfor the next years with Travellers.udThese are:udThe need to protect, preserve and extend the gains made by communityuddevelopment over the past thirty years, principally its model of development, theudinfrastructure of Traveller organisations that has built up and the leadership thatudhas developed, training a new, younger generation that will enable the communityudto cope with the hardships inflicted by austerity, respond to them and emerge fromudthem;udThe need to challenge and reverse the effects of the decisions taken, which haveuddisproportionately affected the Traveller community, challenging those areas fromudwhere the state has retreated, such as anti – racism and inter - culturalism and theudprevention of discrimination. The state continues to take decisions withoutudconsulting Travelling people, with Travellers unrepresented on high-level groupsudat national level and local level, contrary to European principles.udThe importance of making the strategies and the structures developed over the pastuddecades work effectively, especially in such areas as health, accommodation,udeducation, the labour market and enterprise;udThe need to address key political issues, notably recognition of the Travellerudcommunity as a minority ethnic group; amendment of the equal status legislationudso as to make it a truly effective instrument against discrimination;udinterculturalism, especially in schools which are slow to address issues of cultureudand discrimination despite examples of some good initiatives; and the alignmentudprocess, which must preserve the independence of community developmentudprojects working with Travellers.
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