No “Safe Houses” for victims of domestic violence in Offaly

The lack of Safe Houses for victims of domestic violence in Offaly has been highlighted by a number of people recently.

During the February meeting of Offaly County Council, Councillor Ken Smollen put forward a motion which stated, “That Offaly County Council urgently allocates 3 houses from the Council’s own housing stock or provides funding for the rent of 3 houses from an Approved Housing Body - one in Tullamore, one in Birr and one in Edenderry for use as a refuge for the victims and their families of domestic violence in those areas of Offaly and that each of the houses be suitably renovated for use by both female and male victims of domestic violence.”

Cllr Smollen's motion was proposed and seconded by the Councillors.

A number of councillors pointed out that there is a commitment from the government to drive this issue forward.

Cllr John Clendennen said he was recently speaking in person with Justice Minister Helen McEntee and she is focussed on rolling out a number of Safe Houses across Ireland. “I discussed the lack of Safe Houses in Offaly with the Minister,” commented Cllr Clendennen. “She is very aware of our problem.” He said there is a sense of commitment and a sense of urgency on the part of the government regarding tackling the domestic violence issue, a problem that rose significantly during the pandemic's lockdowns.

Cllr Clendennen praised Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services (ODVSS) in Tullamore, which has been “providing an excellent service for many years.”

The councillor said providing Safe Houses was only one part of tackling the domestic violence matter. “There are a number of services involved in tackling the issue, including addiction counselling and mental health services.”

One of the councillors during the monthly meeting called for a feasibility study to be done on the overall approach regarding the issue, and the improvements it needs.

Another said there aren't enough supports in place to back the creation and running of three safe houses in the county. He said it would probably only be feasible to have one safe house and that would be in Tullamore.

Another councillor said they are waiting for the government's direction on the matter, before any safe house is created. He added that the murder of Ashling Murphy on January 12 has added a sense of urgency to the safe house problem in the minds of the government.

Last week Minister Pippa Hackett called on the County Council to be more proactive. Speaking in the Seanad she called on the council to “act now in providing safe houses for victims of domestic violence. They were asked to do so out of their housing allocation, as a matter of urgency. But the council response was that they needed more time. I understand anyone’s plea for more time, but when we face a crisis, time is often something we have little of. Recently I met with Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services, and it’s obvious that victims do not have more time. This cannot wait. People in these areas need help now, and I urge Offaly County Council to act now.”

She welcomed the publication of the Tusla review of accommodation services for victims of domestic abuse. She said Ministers listed Laois, Westmeath and Longford for prioritisation for the urgent provision of family units. “We need to see the same level of prioritisation for Offaly,” she added.

Many have criticised the fact Offaly has been left off the list of counties facing the most significant under-provision of refuge places for victims of domestic violence – despite the fact that the county does not even have a single safe house available.

Anne Clarke, Manager of Offaly Domestic Violence Support Services, described the Tusla report's omission of Offaly as being “deeply disappointing”. She pointed out that ODVSS recorded a 50% increase in calls for help over the past 20 months.

Anne said ODVSS has been “inundated” with calls, particularly in the wake of the murder of Ashling Murphy.

She said staff are dealing with “really alarming” forms of abuse including coercive control, extreme sexual violence and threats to kill.

Despite her disappointment at the omission of Offaly from the list of ten locations where the provision of refuge places would have the most impact, Ms Clarke welcomed the Tusla report and also the plan to establish a single statutory agency to deal with victims of domestic and gender-based violence in all its forms