The Lisnaskea based group, initially formed to support victims and survivors of the Troubles in Fermanagh, has been so successful that it has decided to expand further afield, now running offices in London, Rathfriland, Bessbrook, Newtownstewart and supporting helping people right across the UK and Republic of Ireland.
With 30 personnel, it directly assists roughly 2,200 individuals with an average of 7000 every year engaging with services.
This week the group launched its East Region Gateway service in Lisburn, the occasion being attended by the Victims and Survivors Service, Victims Commission, partner organisations, church and political figures and victims and survivors themselves from across the Lisburn and surrounding area.
SEFF’s Director of Services Kenny Donaldson said the opening was “another milestone in the development of the SEFF organisation as we formally launch a physical office presence in the East Region of Northern Ireland”.
He added: “substantive membership within the East Region, and it was necessary for us to offer an outreach service, ensuring that victims/survivors can receive the full benefits of SEFF’s support services.
“Lisburn and the broader hinterlands is an area that has not had any real focus down the years in terms of services for victims and survivors of ‘The Troubles’. There is immense potential to service unmet need and to afford opportunities to many who have felt forgotten to belatedly have access to the support that others across Northern Ireland are able to receive ”.
He added the launch was “very much a victim-centred occasion” with “innocent victims and survivors of, both republican and loyalist terrorism forming the centre of the programme”.
However, he acknowledged that SEFF is “not soloists” and intends to collaborate with similar-minded organisations and individuals in assisting victims across the region.
Comments