CHARITIES, community groups and voluntary organisations can receive thousands of pounds towards their ideas to improve community safety across Essex.

The Community Safety Initiatives Fund (CSIF) by Essex County Council offers £500 to £2,000 for new or existing projects keeping communities safe, protecting people from harm and aiding crime prevention.

This can include initiatives which inspire public confidence, raise awareness and support community events.

The CSIF aims to reduce crime, including anti-social behaviour, by tackling its root causes through community cohesion.

It follows the 2023 Community Safety Survey which showed 58% of Essex residents had witnessed anti-social behaviour in a 12-month period. This was followed closely by 56% who had witnessed drug usage or evidence of drug taking.

Lucy Whittaker is Founding Director & Lead Trainer of Alpha Vesta, a community interest company focused on breaking the cycle of domestic abuse.

Lucy applied for the CSIF in 2023 and received funding towards the J9 Safe Space Initiative, which provides training to customer-facing and public-facing businesses and organisations.

She said: “The training and resources equip people with skills to recognise the signs of domestic abuse, respond and refer anyone they are concerned about to specialist support services.

“After initial funding for the project, we were inundated with requests for the training and sessions were reaching full capacity. This additional funding from the CSIF allowed us to increase capacity and run more online sessions but also go out into the community and offer the sessions face-to-face.

“The process of applying for the fund was easy and I would say to anyone applying, be clear on your aims and objectives and how your project supports the local community.”

Applications for the CSIF 2024 are open until 24 November at https://consultations.essex.gov.uk/equalities-and-partnership/community-safety-initiative-fund-application-form/

Councillor Louise McKinlay, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Communities, Economic Growth and Prosperity, said: “The importance of local communities cannot be overstated when it comes to building safe environments for residents to live, work, learn and thrive in.

“Awareness campaigns, supporting community events and a range of other initiatives can help create strong community cohesion, which is the impetus for reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

“The Community Safety Initiatives Fund (CSIF) can provide much-needed funding to help local organisations make their community safety projects a reality. After all, local organisations know best about their areas and how to make a real difference in them.

“I encourage every charity, community group and voluntary organisation with an idea of how to improve the safety of their local community to apply for the CSIF by 24 November.”

ENDS