Hourglass Northern Ireland: Left in the cold - Press Release

Northern Ireland’s only older-focused abuse charity left in cold as Stormont impasse and funding ‘omnishambles’ continues

The Deputy CEO of Northern Ireland’s only specialist charity focused on the abuse of older people has slammed the ongoing lack of Executive, as part of a hard-hitting blog.

Hourglass NI, which has never received a penny from any of Stormont’s departments in its ten years in Northern Ireland, has recently learned it has been rejected for an NI Community Fund award. The charity, which employs five full time members of staff in NI, operates on a ‘shoestring’ and relies on its own decimated reserves to support older victim- survivors of abuse and neglect.

In her blog, written as part of Safer Ageing Week (01-10 December), Veronica Gray DCEO and UK Policy Director, underlined the charity’s immense frustration at the barriers put in the way for funding:

“We appear to be locked out, and it’s not as if the older population of Northern Ireland don’t need our 24/7 helpline, community response services and unique Knowledge Bank provision.

“To be clear, Hourglass NI is totally committed to a future of growth and saving and changing lives here. But we, like so many similar organisations appear to be trapped out in the cold and forever knocking on locked doors. It’s a frustration which seems to have no sign of abating.”

“Take the Department of Health’s grant scheme as an example. It was closed to applications and no formal bidding approach for twenty years, was then rebirthed and announced with some fanfare. Only to dissolve into an omnishambles within a matter of months. Leaving organisations like ours simply awaiting news.”

The blog comes hot on the heels of the charity’s landmark Safer Ageing Index for Northern Ireland, released in late 2022.  This highlighted where it was safest to grow old in NI and what measures are being applied to create a Safer Ageing Society. This received a positive reception but fell short of building a groundswell of support for the needs of older people.

Baroness Ritchie, Hourglass Patron, explained: “Hourglass NI is often a lifeline for older victim-survivors and I am continuously shocked that the charity remains in the wilderness for funding and government support.

“There appears to be a belief that domestic abuse, in all its forms, can be dealt with using a ‘one size fits all’ approach and this is plainly ridiculous. Older people with different levels of capacity, perhaps with other complex needs, need specialist support and that’s exactly what Hourglass NI provides. It simply needs the support and access to the right funding mechanisms.

“Hourglass remains the only UK-wide organisation that stands up for and supports older abuse victim-survivors but also the voice of the older person is sadly all-too-often an isolated and barely considered one. We need funder and likeminded organisations to help us spread the word and embed the notion of a safer ageing society.”

In the background of all campaigns is the need to fundraise and Safer Ageing Week is no different. The charity is urging those keen to support the charity to donate by visiting www.wearehourglass.org.uk/donate or Text SAFER to 70460 to donate £10. Texts cost £10 plus one standard rate message and you’ll be opting in to hear more about our work and fundraising via telephone and SMS. If you’d like to give £10 but do not wish to receive marketing communications, text SAFERNOINFO to 70460.

ENDS

Contact: Veronica Gray, Deputy CEO and Policy Director, Hourglass. 07496663816; or Richard Robinson. CEO, Hourglass. 07807229447

veronicagray@wearehourglass.org

NOTE TO EDITORS

In Safer Ageing Week 2023, the charity reveals two further Safer Ageing Indexes – for Wales and Greater London as part of ALONE VOICE theme.

The Safer Ageing Week 2023 ALONE VOICE campaign elevates the voice of the older victim-survivors and urges the public, influencers and decision-makers to start to listen harder and more responsibly. Safer Ageing Week shouldn’t be a rallying cry – but with every year of this week-long campaign our voices need to be louder. Hourglass also launches a key policy paper on the ongoing lack of vital data coming from Scotland, the charity recognises its 30^th anniversary and rolls out a series of messages from politicians and other influencers.

The charity continues to build vital links. The Safer Ageing Indexes were funded by The Hallmark Foundation, we continue to work closely with Age UK and we are building more and more collaborations across the board. However, the charity is also proud to be announcing a new service for Wales – which is a Community Response Hub with a specialist Financial or Economic Abuse. This is thanks to funding from the Community Fund for Wales. The hub will be the subject of a great deal of cross-working and the building of new coalitions to ensure this growth of economic abuse against older people is better understood and stopped in its tracks.