Laois addicts recovering after successful addiction counselling in community centre

Addiction counselling is bringing real results to recovering addicts, at a Laois community centre.

Treo Nua in the residential area of Knockmay, Portlaoise is home to the HSE counselling service.

Cllr Caroline Dwane Stanley, the chairperson of Treo Nua committee, says the results are positive.

"There are vital services there. Because we are in an area where there is I suppose a lot of disadvantage, there is a family resource centre doing fantastic work.

"In particular we have addiction counselling services, people coming in and talking to those who have addictions of drugs and alcohol.

"We’ve had some very successful results there with people who tied in with the service, got in and did their treatment, and are back living in the community and making a great effort in the community, and that’s fantastic. That kind of work is second to none,” Cllr Dwane Stanley said.

She spoke at a recent presentation by the Treo Nua manager Maria McCormack to Laois County Council.

The manager also said that being chosen by the HSE as the Laois base for the county's restored Opthalmology eye Clinic, is "a real coup for us". 

"A key element is the preschool and afterschool childcare facility. We have multi purpose meeting rooms for social and education events.

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"If anyone needs to rent a room that’s one of our major incomes. We rely on it to keep the doors from closing. We’re a lot cheaper than hotels," Ms McCormack also said.

Treo Nua was built along with six council housing estates of 217 houses in Knockmay in the early 2000’s, to support an area that faces a high rate of unemployment and one parent families.

Along with addiction counselling, it offers a huge range of community services, from craft groups and childcare to renting out business meeting rooms, HSE health services and even helping people with filling out and posting complex forms. It also has a shop with plans moving ahead to reopen a café.