HSE promises to open home for disabled in Offaly after 12 year wait

The Health Service Executive has promised to open a house for the disabled in Crinkill, Birr this year.

Elaine Mulvihill of the HSE told last week's meeting of Birr Municipal District that the house, after years of lying idle following its completion, will take in residents during 2022.

The house in Whiteford, Crinkill, was designed to care for disabled people but has been vacant for the last 12 years.

“The HSE Laois / Offaly Disability Services has been actively working over the past year,” said Ms Mulvihill, “to ensure that services are provided from this property in as timely a manner as possible. In this regard I am pleased to advise that funding has been secured to provide a residential service from the property in 2022. The service users have been identified and the families of these four individuals have been advised of same. The HSE is now working with Offaly Parents Association who have invested significantly in this property to finalise the lease arrangements which is required for the HIQA registration and service to commence.”

Cllr John Carroll said he was delighted to hear the good news. He had long been campaigning about the matter. A couple of weeks ago he pointed out that a voluntary group and the HSE came together 12 years ago and acquired the bungalow, which subsequently had never been used for its intended purpose.

A couple of months ago the councillor told the press that it was “scandalous” that the bungalow had been empty this long and that everybody was “fed up with the situation."

The Whiteford bungalow was refurbished two years ago. It's now a state of the art building. The house will be able to accommodate one carer and four people who are "not capable of independent living."

A sensory garden, which will cost €20,000, has also been proposed for the premises.

A few months ago Cllr Carroll asked for clarification from the HSE as to when they could expect to see the house staffed and open. Since it was refurbished two years ago a number of people incapable of independent living have been waiting to move in.