Durkan calls for urgent funding for ‘life-saving’ Derry charity, Men’s Action Network (MAN)

The SDLP MLA told the Stormont Assembly of the ‘enormous impact’ MAN has had on the lives of men within the Foyle constituency.

"The group has been life-changing for many and life-saving for some who felt that they had nowhere else to turn,” said Mr. Durkan, who called for the group to be put on a sustainable footing financially.

His intervention follows MAN’s decision last month to suspend new referrals due to what it described as a ‘severe shortage of funding’.

MAN stated: “The dire lack of sufficient financial support has brought us to a critical juncture where the continuation of our services is gravely threatened.

"Without urgent and substantial funding, we may be forced to close our doors permanently, a prospect that would leave a significant void in our community.”

Speaking in the Assembly on Monday Mr. Durkan pointed to the often life-saving support MAN provides to vulnerable men.

"Males accounted for 77 per cent of all suicides registered in 2022. That figure was even higher in areas of deprivation and among young men aged between 20 and 24.

"It's ludicrous then that such a key support network within Derry has been stripped of funding with ministers stating that there is nothing they can do in light of departments' precarious funding positions,” said Mr. Durkan.

Men, he told MLAs, face significant challenges when it comes to mental health.

"Many struggle in silence, burdened by societal expectations of masculinity that discourage vulnerability. But that stigma is slowly eroding thanks to groups like MAN that provide a safe space, addressing isolation and giving community support.

“Navigating the last few extremely difficult years would have been impossible without our voluntary and community sector. The sector has always stepped in when traditional statutory services have been overstretched, all the while working in extremely challenging budget positions of their own,” said Mr. Durkan.

The Foyle MLA told the Assembly that MAN was unique in its ‘intersectional approach’.

“Few organisations address such a wide array of interconnected issues - mental health support, educational opportunities, breaking down barriers within the legal system, and perhaps most crucially, MAN works with male victims of domestic violence, so often an overlooked issue.

"They were at a critical juncture in terms of establishing a male refuge, plans which have now had to be put on hold. The failure to fund an organisation like this sends a strong, wrong message to men who are suffering but let me assure them that there is still help out there and no one has to suffer in silence.

"MAN’s work spans several government departments and as such it should be the responsibiltiy of the Executive as a whole to ensure that this group is funded.

"Investment will save the public purse in the long run by preventing crises and reducing the demand on overstretched public services. More importantly, it will save lives. A good government would never leave MAN behind,” said Mr. Durkan.

Derry men’s health and well-being charity facing closure due to decline in funding, increased costs