Longford Community Resources

Introduction

Longford Community Resources clg (LCRL) is the integrated local development partnership company for County Longford. The core purpose of the company is to promote rural development and tackle social exclusion and LCRL does this through various programmes including the Rural Development (LEADER) Programme and the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP).

This site has been developed to provide you with information on the company and its programmes and to update you on an on-going basis with the latest news and details of our current activities.

We hope you find this site useful. If you have any queries on any of the items listed or require any further information on any of our activities please contact us.

About Us

Longford Community Resources clg was established in 1995.   In County Longford this provided the first major opportunity for the community, voluntary and state sectors to work together to identify and plan a coordinated response to the challenges facing the county. One of its main roles is to support integrated local social and economic development through the management of programmes that promote social inclusion and equality.  Currently we manage and administer the following programmes:

  • Rural Development Programme (Leader)
  • Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP)
  • Rural Social Scheme (RSS)
  • TUS Programme
  • Traveller Primary Healthcare Project
  • Longford Volunteer Centre
  • County Longford Youth Service

Main Objectives

The purpose of our company is to promote positive change in the areas of social, economic, environmental, community and cultural development throughout County Longford by empowering the communities and special issue groups to promote the development of their own areas.  We, at Longford Community Resources clg, aim to respond to the social and economic decline encountered by disadvantaged groups, individuals, community and issue groups throughout the County working through a partnership and community development approach.  In this regard we have identified key socio-economic issues within Co. Longford.

Issues identified:

  • Unacceptable levels of poverty and the difficulties emerging from it;
  • The general levels of unemployment in the County and related issues;
  • Low levels of female participation in the labour market;
  • Educational issues: low levels of educational attainment, a need for part time and further education and high levels of early school leaving;
  • Non-participation of members of disadvantaged groups and individuals;
  • A decline in the agricultural sector and the number of underemployed farmers and farmers leaving the sector;
  • Lack of rural transport and high levels of isolation being experienced;
  • Lack of infrastructure and services for the youth;
  • Lack of tourism development;
  • A need for greater cooperation and coordination between agencies and organisations.

In this context, some of the groups supported since our inception include rural and urban community groups and issue groups – including older persons, long-term unemployed, support to existing and potential early school leavers, low income smallholders, disadvantaged women, refugees and asylum seekers, Traveller communities, people with disabilities and lone parents and we also support private individuals.