Navan Refuge may have to turn women away due to reduced funds

The director of the Meath Women"s Refuge Centre & Support Services Deirdre Murphy, has said that women may have to be turned away after funding for the centre was reduced by 30 per cent by the HSE. Ms Murphy has described it as the most severe cutback suffered by any women"s refuge centre in the country. It had been signalled for some time that the cash-strapped HSE would reduce its allocation to the facility. However, there was shock at the level of cutbacks implemented. Ms Murphy said that she was 'shocked' to learn that the Navan-based centre would lose so much funding, She pointed out that, since 1996, some 146 women have been murdered in the Republic of Ireland, half of them by a partner or ex-partner, and that, since 2007, almost 3,000 children were accommodated in refuge centres around Ireland. Since its establishment, Meath Refuge have provided crisis accommodation to 1,377 women and 2,343 children to the end of 2008. She added that a budget cut of €10,000 per month (€120,000 per year) was implemented on the centre from 1st April last. This constituted a 30 per cent reduction in the Meath Women"s Refuge & Support Service budget. 'We had a woman who called into us the other day who had been with us a few years ago. She came in with a cheque of €500 and a letter to say that the service provided by the Women"s Refuge Centre changed her life,' she added. The centre"s director said that the staffing levels at the refuge have now being cut and all aspects of the service may need to be trimmed back further to balance the books. The Meath Women"s Refuge Service is staffed by 16 part-time people, the equivalent of nine-and-a-half full-time posts. Shock 'We were shocked by the severity of the cutbacks, we know of 10 per cent cuts at other centres, we know of three or five per cent cuts nationally in refuges but we don"t know of any which received a 30 per cent cut,' Ms Murphy said this week. 'As far as we are aware, this is the biggest cut for a women"s refuge centre in the country. It means we can"t provide the service we would normally provide,' she added. 'The annual cost to provide safe accommodation and support to each woman/child is approximately €2,050. For many, this is the cost of keeping them alive, and giving these very vulnerable women and children in our community, the support to live their lives safely.' During the course of last year, 71 women and 90 children were accommodated by Meath Women"s Refuge in Navan. The HSE provided €331,167 for refuge provision in 2008. 'The women and the children are the most vulnerable, we provide them with shelter, we have a number of other services such as housing and outreach. You just can"t endure a 30 per cent cut and be expected to provide the level of service for those who need them most. There is currently no alternative service in Meath or, to our knowledge, any plans to provide one,' she added. Staff hours at the Navan centre have already been reduced, according to the centre"s director, and there is regularly only one staff member available to take calls, attend to the women and provide programmes. So far, staff have not been made redundant, although this has not been ruled out of the equation as the Navan Refuge Centre faces into an uncertain future. The HSE said this week it is in discussions with Meath Women"s Refuge & Support Services regarding allocation of resources for 2009. 'At a meeting on 8th April 2009, with representatives of the Meath Women"s Refuge & Support Services, an allocation for 2009 was discussed, subject to completion of a service review,' a HSE spokesperson added. 'It was agreed at that meeting that a joint review would be undertaken and work began immediately to put the necessary arrangements in place to facilitate the review process. In this regard, the HSE is in correspondence with Meath Women"s Refuge & Support Services and it is hoped to hold a further meeting shortly to progress the matter,' the spokesperson added.