TAS Network Centre

In order to make the Network centre effective and efficient, a number of organisations will operate from the building and in doing so they will provide the following services to the immediate community and the wider area of East Belfast.

Community Development Support

Supporting community development in East Belfast to broad range of interests and needs within local communities including local residents’ associations, faith based organisations, sports clubs, older people’s projects and women’s groups.

Providing resources, support and capacity building programmes for community groups based on partnership, equal opportunities and sustainable outcomes and to assess the needs of the community sector and work with other key organisations to draw up programmes, projects, plans and strategies that build capacity.

Promotion of good financial management practice in the sector by offering financial management advice, training services and a community accountancy service. Provision of accessible meeting rooms and assistance with photocopying, production of newssheets, leaflets and other administrative support.

Encourage, support and facilitate the provision of quality community development education and training opportunities and finally to use this work to seek to influence the policies of community, voluntary, government and public agencies so that they recognise the value of adopting a community development approach and that the community sector in East Belfast might benefit from this.

Family Support Services

Promoting the welfare for families with children under the age of 5; to enhance parenting skills and child health; and to improve the development and learning of children ensuring they flourish at home and school. Programmes would include; health and social development scheme; outreach crèche services and toy and book library; parent and children’s centre and play away crèche; special needs support scheme; and community play groups; community based speech and language service; fathers/ male carers project.

Health Development Programme

A Health Development & Connections Programme will seek to support local individuals, groups and community workers engaged in improving health and well-being. Engaging local people to play a key role in making choices about the information they need in relation to their own health and well-being will be at the heart of the Programme.

Working on the basis that prevention and early intervention are crucial in increasing life expectancy from preventable illnesses such as cancers, heart disease & stroke. This will be achieved through a network of voluntary lay health information workers, who will be involved in; Partnership working with the Belfast Trust & other key stakeholders to support interventions on health screening; Advancing health improvement through health promotion events in local communities; Targeting groups with specific health needs; Targeting geographical areas in east Belfast; Specialist lay health information worker development training.

The programme would also establish and support connections and collaborative relationships that will allow health issues to actively be brought to decision maker and policy agendas and thus informing the statutory, community and voluntary sector and policy makers of the work of the local community.

Library

Provision of a library which will be accessible on a day to day basis. This would provide the public’s information needs generally as well as offering materials for general entertainment and leisure purposes. Lending books and other written material as well as having non-circulating reference collections. It is also proposed to have computer and internet access.

Drugs Education Programme

A community-led partnership which aims to empower communities to take more responsibility for tackling drug issues and abuses and the associated difficulties. The project will skill up local people to enable them to deliver drug education and awareness to both their peers and young people. It will achieve this by providing informal education with progression with further routes through to further training including accredited courses. These courses include counselling and parenting skills.

PSNI Office

With the closure of Mountpottinger Police Station after 100 years of serving the community in East Belfast, there is a need for the Police to have a more community orientated role within East Belfast. The PSNI will have a community office based in the building, which will allow local people to have day to day, face to face contact with local community police men and women.

Advice Services

A service that will provide free, independent and confidential advice to people in greater East Belfast who are affected by poverty and disadvantage. Ensuring East Belfast does not suffer from a lack of information on their rights and responsibilities. Specific services include: confidential, independent and free advice on a range of issues including benefits, disability, housing, employment and consumer services; specialist projects would include dealing with debt, the needs of minority ethnic groups, tribunal representation, financial capability and volunteering opportunities; an outreach service would also operate in a number of communities and also provides home visits to those who cannot access advice services due to physical or mental incapacity or caring responsibilities.

Café/Restaurant

A fully operational café/restaurant that will provide a service to those based in the building as well as the immediate community. More importantly the café/restaurant will attract people into the building and area and increase the visitors to this community.

Meeting Rooms, Arts & Exhibition Space

The building will accommodate small and large groups for meetings, workshops, seminars, conferences and training courses. There will also be an opportunity to use the main hall as rehearsal facilities; production of performances and provide high quality easily accessible exhibition space.