TD calls on Minister to help Esker House source new site

Sinn Féin TD for Longford/Westmeath Sorca Clarke has called on Minister for Justice during a recent Dáil debate to offer assistance to the Athlone-based Esker House Women's Refuge in sourcing a new site.

Deputy Clarke said that more than half of the domestic violence refuges in Ireland are full and that local refuges are being forced to turn women and children away. “Many of those women and children, in turn, have to travel to other parts of the country simply to seek safety. This is happening at a time when the Gardai has told us it has received more than 60,000 calls concerning domestic abuse.”

Deputy Clarke highlighted that the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee had previously said that 98 refuge units would be delivered by the end of 2025 in the priority areas and that Westmeath was deemed a priority area under the Minister's Government's strategy. “Last year, Esker House in Athlone, provided emergency refuge accommodation to 28 women and 41 children but received requests from 267 people. This is the only such facility in the midlands,” said Deputy Clarke.

She concluded that while there were plans to build a new, purpose-built refuge centre, a suitable site was lacking and “holding up the project.”

Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science of Ireland Simon Harris, who was dealing with questions in the Dáil, said that the delivery of more refuge beds was a priority for the Minister for Justice and that he would ask Minister McEntee to revert to the Deputy regarding Esker House.

Head of Services at Esker House Domestic Abuse Support Service Deirdre Berry previously made a direct appeal to local elected representatives at a meeting of the Athlone-Moate Municipal District for support in the bid to secure a site for a new purpose-built refuge centre.

Despite the fact that Esker House has expanded its service in recent years, and now also has an office at a town centre location in Athlone, where it hosts workshops and other events, the Head of Services at Esker House refuge centre said the service urgently needs a site to enable the building of a new centre.

“The new centre will not just be a refuge centre,” she told councillors. “It will have all the ancillary supports on site, it is a future thinking model and we need everyone to get behind it in order to make it happen.”