New emergency housing service to open in 2024
The opening of a new regional emergency accommodation service for 17 people in Tullamore is now scheduled to open in the latter months of this year.
The service is to be provided in the former Clonamore House Hotel on Arden Road, which has undergone an extensive renovation and has been renamed Cill Bhríde by its new owners, the national housing charity Sophia.
The facility had initially been expected to open several months ago.
However, in a statement provided to the Offaly Independent this week, Sophia said it was currently working towards an opening at some stage in the final three months of this year.
Sophia noted that the original plan had been for it to purchase the building and the homelessness service was then to be operated from it by the Midlands Simon Community. However, it said this arrangement had changed.
"When Sophia purchased the building, the original intention was that services for homeless people would be delivered by Midlands Simon Community," said the charity's statement.
"In March of this year, the board of Midlands Simon Community informed Sophia that they were withdrawing from the project.
"In July of this year, Westmeath County Council confirmed to Sophia that the Statutory Management Group of the Midlands Regional Joint Consultative Homeless Forum want Sophia to operate the new regional service.
"Sophia are now making preparations to deliver on the goal of having the service open in the fourth quarter of 2024."
The charity said the name Cill Bhríde had been chosen because of it has "historic resonance in the area," with Cill Bhríde recalling the old civil parish of Tullamore, while it also "evokes the spirit of hospitality which is at the heart of Sophia's mission".
Michael McCarthy, the chairperson of Sophia, described the development as one which would mark a new chapter in the provision of homeless services in the Midlands.
"Sophia is already supporting people who needed a home of their own in the Midlands. This new regional service at Cill Bhríde will set a new standard to respond to needs of people who are from the Midlands who are homeless," Mr McCarthy commented.
Tony O'Riordan, the chief executive of Sophia, added: "When the service is operational it will be exclusively for people that the Local Authorities refer and who have presented to County Councils as being homeless.
"There will be a trained staff with Social Care qualifications supporting people on site 24/7. The service has the capacity to cater for seventeen people at any one time."
Mr O'Riordan said the new service was being made possible by "the leadership, vision and support" of Offaly County Council, the Statutory Management Group of the Midlands Regional Joint Consultative Homeless Forum, and the Department of Housing.
"Because of their support a new regional service will exist," he stated.
It's not clear what, if any, impact the new service operated by Sophia, will have on the Midlands Simon Community's existing emergency beds.
The provision of emergency accommodation for 17 people at Cill Bhríde was originally designed to replace the Midlands Simon Community's existing provision of six emergency beds in Tullamore and six in Athlone.
However, more recently, there were indications that the level of demand arising from ongoing housing crisis would mean these facilities would need to remain open after Cill Bhríde becomes operational.