Refuge spaces should triple – Saoirse Domestic Violence Services

THE Government needs to more than triple the amount of refuge spaces available nationally, according to a manager from a local women’s refuge who couldn’t accommodate 76 per cent of people who sought refuge spaces last year due to being at capacity.

Nadine O’Brien is the outreach and prevention manager for Saoirse Domestic Violence Services (SDVS) which operates two refuges, one in Tallaght and another in Rathcoole.

Ms O’Brien said the Government has failed to meet the requirements of the Istanbul Convention, ratified by Ireland in 2019, which states that Ireland needs one domestic refuge space for every 10,000 people.

The effects of the lack of domestic violence refuges spaces are being felt by both domestic violence service workers and their clients.

In Saoirse’s Annual Report 2022, published before Christmas, it was noted that they could not accommodate 391 requests for refuge last year, meaning 76 per cent of the people who contacted them that year couldn’t be housed.

According to the report, the lack of available housing is worsening the situation, as many of the women who are housed in the refuge struggle to move out due to the housing shortage and high rents.

Explaining what happens when Saoirse cannot provide accommodation to someone who has asked for assistance, Ms O’Brien said contact is made with other refuges and services.

“It’s an operational challenge for us,” she told The Echo.

“When someone reaches out to us for safe accommodation and we can’t provide it, we look at other interventions and support to respond to the caller’s needs.

“We always try to ring around to other refuges to see if we can secure a safe location for them, but there are only three refuges in Dublin.

“If we can’t get something in another refuge, we look at what community-based support we can provide to the family, whether that’s going through the courts service, accessing housing through homeless services, or if they need safety planning or emotional support.”

A key way of combating the issue is increasing the number of refuges in line with the Istanbul Convention, according to Ms O’Brien.

“It’s an essential requirement that we’re falling short of, and it’s not good enough,” said Ms O’Brien.

“We need to be meeting the requirements.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice told The Echo that a statutory domestic, sexual and gender-based violence agency called Cuan is expected to be operational by the end of January.

They added that there are plans to double the number of domestic violence refuge places around the country to 280.

They said that development of up to 36 refuge units is underway in Wexford, Dundalk and Navan to be delivered by the end 2024.

If you’ve been affected by the issues raised in this article, Saoirse Domestic Violence Services has a 24/7 helpline on 01 463 0000.

For further information on Saoirse Domestic Violence Services visit their website HERE or follow them on social media.