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Cope Foundation needs additional €30m+ per annum to run service

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Increased demand means hundreds of people needing urgent help face lengthy delays 

Cope Foundation, one of the largest providers of services and supports to people with intellectual disabilities and/or autism in Ireland, has indicated that it requires a significant increase in funding of over €30 million per annum to meet the rapidly growing demands of its service.
A detailed comprehensive Service Review, designed to examine the requirements of Cope Foundation up until 2023, has been completed and presented to the HSE. This identifies a number of key areas where significant investment is required.
Amongst the matters of most pressing concern;

  • There are currently 400 children waiting assessment for autism spectrum disorder. 
  • Of those who have been assessed, there are over 1,350 children currently awaiting specialist intervention. Some have been waiting years. 
  • Of the adults requiring support, there are 174 currently on a residential waiting list, with many having nowhere to call their permanent home.
  • There are 649 adults identified as having “changing needs”, who currently require further intervention and support to meet these changed needs.

CEO of Cope Foundation, Sean Abbott says, “We are extremely grateful for all the funds we currently receive from both the HSE and the general public. However, in the 30 years that I have worked with Cope Foundation, I have never experienced delays this bad. It’s disheartening both for myself, and my colleagues across the Foundation, when we have to consistently say no to families who are desperately seeking help. As waiting lists lengthen, we face the very real possibility that children who need support for ASD will age-out of the system and become adults without having received the appropriate intervention and support. Equally, we have people whom we support who are couch-surfing between family members as they have nowhere to live on a permanent basis. For each of these statistics, there are immeasurable challenges facing these individuals and their families”.

To properly address the challenges posed by the increased demand on its service, Cope Foundation has identified the need for an additional investment of €34 million per annum between now and 2023. Cope Foundation has already engaged with the HSE to make them aware of the need. However, given the scale of the challenge, Cope Foundation is also looking to dramatically increase funding from both corporate donors and the general public.

Over 40% of the adults currently supported by Cope Foundation are over the age of 45. The organisation also urgently needs to design and develop a range of individualised services and supports as that population ages. This includes the purchase of assistive technology solutions to ensure these people maintain their independence, and do not require increasingly costly interventions.

Cope Foundation is planning to increase its fundraising activity around specific projects, such as technology and facilities. Sean Abbott says, “The people of Cork have been incredibly generous in their support of Cope Foundation since its inception in 1957. However, there has never been a time when that support has been needed more. In the months ahead, we will be undertaking a significant awareness campaign of the challenges facing Cope, and outlining ways that people and businesses can help.”

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