This includes support and services for all ages and equality groups on diverse needs and issues including:
- Affordable goods - for example through charity shops
- Social housing - through housing associations and cooperatives
- Employability and financial support - for example specialist employability charities and a Citizens Advice Bureau
- Environmental action - such as community environmental groups
- Spiritual support - through churches and faith-based charities
- Health and social care - including residential, home care, community support such as befriending, and community transport
- Education and learning - through for example further education colleges and universities which are charities and through community groups
You can find information about North Lanarkshire CVS organisations on the 'A Local Information System for Scotland' (ALISS) Website
The CVS in North Lanarkshire provides support and services to many thousands of local people every year – delivered by thousands of staff volunteers.
Most volunteer-involving organisations are in the CVS, which would struggle to function – or even exist - without volunteers. Many small community groups and charities have no paid staff and so everything they do relies on volunteers. And, whilst larger community groups, charities and social enterprises usually have paid staff, they generally also rely on volunteers to help them achieve their goals. This is a great strength of the CVS and why it is so cost-effective.
As most of our CVS is very locally based and serves its local communities, it is also an important contributor to community wealth building through:
The building and land it owns or rents
The people it employs with increasing commitment to being Fair Work employers
The volunteers it involves
It's local spending
You can read more about how our North Lanarkshire CVS supports community wealth building and also helps to tackle poverty in these two briefings here
Community Wealth Building Briefing
Tackling Poverty Briefing