No refuge for abused Laois women and children as families turned away nationwide

More than a year since Laois was prioritised to get a domestic abuse shelter after the murder of Aisling Murphy in Offaly, the county is still one of nine with no refuge centre for abused women and children.

Shelters in other counties are being forced to turn away hundreds of women and children because they are full.

This week RTÉ New revealed that families areturned away at over half of the 20 refuge centres in other counties.

That includes the nearest centres to Laois which are in Westmeath and Tipperary. Neighbours Offaly and Carlow also have no refuges.

In Westmeath, Esker House is the only refuge in the midlands, and in 2022 they had 189 requests for emergency refuge that were not met. Esker House is also identified as a priority area for more refuge spaces.

Deirdre Berry Manager at Esker House, said the situation is "really bleak".

"It means that as a service and the other domestic violence services in Ireland, we work very closely with, we all have to work more creatively to keep women safer in their own homes and their communities."

Ms Berry said due to the shortage of accommodation, there needs to be more effort made to keep women safe in their homes.

"What we need to look at now is responding in a more appropriate way, where perpetrators are removed, where perpetrators are made accountable for their behaviour.

"That we're twisting narratives, and we're asking the perpetrator, why are they doing this? Instead of saying to the women, 'why don't you just leave?’"

"House prices are going up. There's no houses there. There's no available social housing, so all of the areas that women could have an opportunity to move if staying at home isn't an option, they've all been dwindling for us, and even non-existent at the moment.

"It is really important for anybody out there that is experiencing something that they do reach out for help. If you feel that something [is] not right, please reach out for support, please reach out."

Laois is earmarked to get a €1.75m new shelter built in Portlaoise with eight secure units for families, but it is likely not to be open until at least 2025.

A site is in the process of being purchased, but it will have to undergo design, planning and construction stages before it can opened.

The nine counties still without a refuge are Laois, Carlow, Cavan, Leitrim, Longford, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon and Sligo.

Along with Laois Domestic Abuse Service, they all each have domestic violence support services, where staff work with refuges around the country to find any safe housing available to people who present to them.

RTÉ News found that women who present needing emergency refuge may only need the room for a few days, but usually it takes a couple of weeks to make sure the woman is safe and to put in place court orders, financial support, alternative housing and counselling.

However, most refuges reported clients having to stay for months. Over half said the longest resident currently in the refuge is there over four months. Others say women move out but into further homeless emergency accommodation.

The reason is the lack of available housing.

In 2022 Sonas Refuge in Dublin, had to refuse 470 people. Aoibhneas Refuge in Dublin had 402 refusals.

Kildare's Teach Tearmainn refuge had to refuse 213 requests. Cuan Saor in Clonmel, Tipperary, said they were unable to admit 191 women and 203 children.

A TUSLA review published in 2022 showed that over 1.2 million people in Ireland are more than 30 minutes away from a unit or family place, and those who are furthest away from refuge accommodation were those in the midlands and north-west.

Domestic violence support services often look for emergency B&B accommodation for women, or there is a rent supplement for victims of domestic violence.

The Department of Social Protection said 140 people availed of that supplement in 2022.

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Anne Clarke is Manager of Offaly Domestic Violence Support Service.

"What really happens most of the time is the person remains in the abusive home because we don't have any other options," she told RTÉ.

Ms Clarke said their support service which helps men too, was "extremely busy" throughout 2022.

There is no dedicated refuge for men in Ireland.

In June 2022 the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee published the Zero Tolerance Strategy that aims to ensure that everybody who needs a refuge space will get one. She intends to deliver an additional 98 refuge units in priority locations, including Laois, by 2025, and 280 by 2026, double what currently exists.

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However, RTÉ says that according to the Istanbul convention against violence against women and domestic violence, which Ireland has signed up to, the country needs 476 refuge units in total.

Laois Domestic Abuse Service provides support, information and advocacy to women and children/young people subjected to domestic abuse and coercive control.  For help, call them on 057 86 71100 or email lina@laoisdomesticabuseservice.ie