Green light given to plans for mental health facility in Limerick
PLANS for a new shared facility for two voluntary groups providing a vital service in the city have received the green light.
The Haven Hub and Limerick Land Search Team are hoping to convert a derelict building in Old Thomondgate on the city's northside into a dedicated drop-in facility for those struggling with mental health issues.
At this month's council meeting, members agreed to lease the building to the two groups for a nominal fee of €1 per year.
The Haven Hub, which currently operates a drop-in centre in Bedford Row in the city centre, says the new centre, which requires renovation, is in a “prime location”.
Its chairperson and founder Leona O'Callaghan said: “This is an incredibly exciting project, we are so grateful to the council for giving us the opportunity to be able to deliver our services to the community from our forever home.
"When we first started down this road, we had initially thought that the building would function simply as a crisis centre for ourselves and a base of operation for Limerick Land Search Team. But the project has evolved and now we hope to offer the community a dedicated Mental Health Wellness Community Centre.”
She hopes the new centre will allow Haven Hub the chance to deliver its mental health awareness courses and wellness programmes while still providing the drop-in support it's well known for.
Calvin Prendergast, chairperson of Limerick Land Search Team added: “We’re grateful to the council for seeing the value that we provide to the community by allocating us a space within the building at 9A & 9B Old Thomondgate.
"Currently, our equipment is stored in our personal vehicles and we have no place to debrief our volunteers after callouts or a specific space for training. This new dedicated location will give us a permanent base of operations within which we can carry out all of the above.”
Suzzie O’Deniyi, director of operations and facility at the Haven Hub went on to say “We can not overstate the importance of this community centre in serving the people of Limerick and beyond and bringing about positive radical transformation. As a result, we are appealing for unity and solidarity in order to make this project a reality.”
In order to do this, the two groups will be hosting a number of fundraisers to raise the money to bring the facility up to standard.