Challenges securing refuge accommodation for women and children highlighted to Minister for Justice during Clonmel visit

Cuan Saor was delighted to welcome Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to their Refuge and Support Service in Jervis Place, Parnell Street Clonmel on Thursday last.
She was accompanied by Senator Garret Ahearn and local counsellors and Board of Management Director Seamus Healy.
Geraldine Mullane, Project Leader of Cuan Saor, welcomed both Minister McEntee and Senator Ahearn and reflected back to the opening of the refuge service back in 2000 when Garret’s mother, the late Deputy Teresa Ahearn, officially opened the service.
Geraldine Mullane and her staff gave Minister McEntee an overview of the facility, drawing attention to the wide range of services currently available to women and children who access Cuan Saor.
Geraldine Mullane also drew the attention of Minister McEntee to the challenges currently facing the organisation.
Those challenges included the difficulties women and children have in securing follow-on housing from the refuge accommodation which in turn reduces the availability of the crisis accommodation which the refuge provides.
Geraldine Mullane said that to the end of April 2022 they have had 65 women and 46 children referrals that they could not accommodate.
Minister McEentee said she understood the challenges that the refuges across the country were experiencing and her department was working quickly to address the issue especially across the nine counties that currently have no refuge spaces.
Minister McEntee spoke about the work being done to finalise the move of the Domestic Violence Sector from Tusla to the Department of Justice and the ongoing work of the third national strategy that she said would be published in June.
ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP
Geraldine Mullane said that the suite of wrap-around services are essential to the success of enabling a woman to leave the abusive relationship.
Rhea Hanton, (Court Support Worker), said that the organisation would welcome the implementation of the new non-stalking and non-fatal strangulation standalone offences currently going through the Dáil and it was their wish that it would be easily navigated through the court system.
Minister McEntee replied to this by saying that it was her express wish that it be an easy access process for those that needed to use it.
The Minister asked what would be helpful as an answer to follow-on accommodation for the residents of Cuan Saor and Geraldine Mullane said that step-down accommodation with medium support and access to wrap-around services while women were waiting to secure their more permanent home would be crucial.
INSIGHT
The Minister thanked Geraldine Mullane and the staff of Cuan Saor for allowing her to visit the service and to gain an insight into the services that are provided in Clonmel and Tipperary.