This article is from page 23 of the 2011-01-18 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
MORE than 300 people were housed at a refuge for victims of domestic abuse in Clare during the past 12 months, while hundreds of distressed victims of abuse sought help.
Requests for support among those suffering domestic abuse is brisk across the county, particularly in Shannon, where additional support has been provided, in response to demand.
According to Clare Haven, which provides support to female victims of domestic abuse across the county, 136 women and 187 children were admitted to its refuge in 2010. While this is a slight increase on figures for the previous year, one changing trend is that families are staying at the refuge for longer than had been the case in the past.
The refuge – which can house up to six families at any one time – was full for the entire year, with the result that many families had to be referred to refuges in Limerick and Galway. Such referrals have taken place since 2008.
In addition, 573 support visits were provided at Clare Haven’s drop-in centre in Ennis, along with an additional 350 support visits at its outreach centres in Shannon, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Killaloe an Scarriff.
356 helpline calls were answered by Clare Haven during 2010, which is equivalent to approximately one call per day. Staff from the centre provided 104 accompaniments for women seeking domestic violence orders, while 117 accompaniments to other services, such as the gardaí, legal aid and social welfare meetings, were also provided by Clare Haven staff.
More than 300 play therapy sessions were provided to children of women receiving support from Clare Haven. There is a waiting list for inclusion on that particular programme.
“Occupancy levels in the refuge were high throughout the year. Some families remained in refuge for longer periods of time as a result of delays in securing housing, needing to move to another county etc,” said Services Manager with Clare Haven, Denise Dunne.
She said that demand across the board has increased, not least in the Shannon centre, which was set up five years ago.
“Demand for the refuge and support service is up. In the refuge we were fuller for longer. Shannon is busier. We had to increase Shannon. We had to take on a second half day because it was so busy. The other centres have also got busier,” she said.
Cuts in financial support for Clare Haven have been imposed during the past two years and further cuts are expected this year. Nevertheless, its support services are unlikely to be reduced.
“This will be our third year of cuts. However we will keep the service going to the same level,” she said.