UH/1649

Hardship fund launched for other victims of Omagh bomb
BY NIGEL MCDONAGH

PEOPLE who have "suffered in silence" since the Omagh bomb are being urged to take advantage of a new £200,000 Hardship Fund which aims to meet some of the financial needs of individuals and families who have suffered emotionally in the wake of the 1998 atrocity.
Launched on Tuesday at the Omagh Community House, the Hardship Fund was created to address financial difficulties faced by people suffering from psychological distress or forced lifestyle change in the aftermath of the bomb, whether they were affected directly or indirectly by the explosion.
The fund will be a grassroots scheme and is promoted by a locally based Recommendation Body which will review applications on a regular basis and make its recommendations to the Omagh Fund. The maximum award is £3,000 for an individual and £5,000 for a family.
Sean O'Dwyer, Chairman of the Omagh Fund, said the Hardship Fund was created in the awareness that there are many people who may have incurred, or are still sustaining, financial loss as a result of the impacts of psychological distress or forced lifestyle change from the bomb.
"We envisage that the Hardship Fund can be used for a variety of causes and hopefully it will go some way to reducing the financial burden on some people.
"Perhaps you may have incurred travelling expenses accompanying a friend or family member attending treatment for injuries as a result of the Omagh bomb, or maybe you were forced to withdraw from your university course and need help with fees to continue your education.
"You may even have reduced the number of hours that you work in order to look after a family member who was injured as a result of the bomb. There are any number of scenarios and instances where this Hardship Fund can be of some benefit."
The Omagh Fund has invited John McKinney to Chair the Recommendation Body which has representation from local organisations that are close to the ground and can identify or assist people to apply to the Hardship Fund.
The Recommendation Body includes Forum in Omagh for Community Understanding and Support (FOCUS), the Omagh Churches Forum, the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma & Transformation (NICTT), Tara Counselling & Personal Development Centre, Wave Trauma Centre and the services of a retired medical practitioner to provide independent medical advice to the Body.
Mr McKinney explained that the groups sitting on the Recomendation Body can act as advocates for a Hardship Fund applicant, talking them through the aims of the fund and the application process.
"We believe there are many victims of the Omagh bomb who still suffer in silence and this Hardship Fund might just make that little bit of difference. It is our wish to promote this fund within the affected communities; including Omagh, Buncrana and Madrid and to make it as accessible as possible to those who need it most," he said.
Mr O'Dwyer added that the £200,000 provided for the Hardship Fund may increase depending on the number of suitable applications.
He said, "There are admittedly contradictions within our own minds because while we hope that there aren't too many people out there suffering hardship, we do hope that those who are suffering will come forward because we want to use the money to help them. The bottom line is that we want the money used properly, whether it's £200,000 or more."
To make an application to the Hardship Fund, people can approach the Recommendation Body Secretariat or any of the participating organisations for further information and an application form.
The contact details for each of the organisations is detailed as follows:

1.Recommendation Body Secretariat; John McKinney, Hardship Fund Chairman, C/O The Manager's Office, Omagh Community House, 2
Drumragh Avenue, Omagh. Telephone 8224 2040

2.Omagh Churches Forum; Bernie Nixon, C/O The Manager's Office, Omagh Community House, 2 Drumragh Avenue, Omagh. Telephone 82242040.

3.FOCUS; Geraldine Keys; Omagh Community House, 2 Drumragh Avenue, Omagh. Telephone 82240991.

4.NICTT; David Bolton; Retreat Close, Cookstown Road, Omagh. Telephone 82251500.

5.Tara Counselling & Personal Development Centre; Maura Twohig, 11 Homeview Terrace, Omagh. Telephone 8225 0024.

6.Wave Trauma Centre; Sandra Peake, Unit 4, Old Market Buildings, Market Place, Omagh. 8225 2522.