COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, October 12, 2015

MOTION NO.2

MOTION: Councillor L. Dunne

To ask the Chief Executive to facilitate a new committee that can be attended by delegates from the women's refuge in the county and housing bodies with the responsibility of managing transitional housing units in the county.  If this motion is passed, this committee should be named, The Domestic Violence Consultative Committee and should meet on a quarterly basis.  Additionally, to ask the Chief Executive to delegate one of the homeless unit staff to be a first and only point of contact for these services when referring domestic violence victims to the department

REPORT:

Currently there are 2 organisations in the South Dublin Area providing service and facilities to victims of domestic violence.  These are Cuan Alainn which has the capacity for 11 families and Saoirse Womens Refuge which has the capacitiy for 6 families both on a temporary basis.  In addition the Council has provided a house to Saoirse to assist in move on from the refuge when the families there are no longer in need of emergeny accommodation.  Both if these services already have nominees on the Councils Homeless Fourm.

Apart from the homeless forum the Council works on an interagency basis with a number of organisations with a view to combatting Domestic Violence.  eg Traveller Interagency Group, Traveller Development Groups as well as the Pave Point and Irish Traveller Movement, Children Services Committee and regionally the Homeless Consultative Forum. At a National level we work in conjunction with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and COSC the national body on Domestic Violance.

It would seem that the Homeless Forum is essentailly what is suggested in the motion.  In this regard a meeting with representatives of the services will be organised to discuss possible changes to the forum's focus and / or goals with a view to accommodating the spirit of the motion.  The question of nominating one person to be the point of contact will be discussed with the representatives. 

The funding of the Domestic Violance refuges has up to 2015 been met by the homeless budget but it has now transferred to TUSLA.