Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention forced to avail of public’s help due to inaction from the council.
LIMERICK Treaty Suicide Prevention have launched a new campaign, ‘Give Hope A Home,’ as they are set to become homeless in January.
The charity patrols the River Shannon four nights a week, helping those in crisis and is currently based in the Cleeves Industrial Estate. However, the site is currently being transformed into the Cleeves Riverside Quarter, and the charity’s current location will no longer be there after redevelopment.
The charity has been operating since 2018 and has not once received funding from the local council or government despite several requests. Speaking to the Limerick Voice Podcast, Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the charity, David O’Mahony, said there’s been a lack of governmental support:
“Over these last 10 months we’ve been engaging with the council, TDs and local politicians in regards to getting us a place to go to. Not to badmouth anyone because I don’t think that’s productive, but there has been no support there from the local council or TDs. I’ve probably spoke to most of them now at this point and some have blatantly ignored or some of them have promised everything and not delivered.”
Despite the fact that “the last thing we wanted to do was put this burden on the people of Limerick,” the charity has now had to launch the ‘Give Hope A Home’ campaign. They are urging Limerick locals to reach out to the charity if they’re aware of any properties near the river with two to three rooms and secure storage available for rent.
O’Mahony explained why it is crucial for the charity, as it serves as a place for the volunteers who encounter people in crisis to debrief and relax after their shifts:
“The other night we had unfortunately had someone go into the water, and our volunteers were first on scene. Our volunteers were the ones to get that person to safety, and they [the volunteers] had to debrief on the side of the road in the cold, in the rain, and there’s no place for them to go. And as I said to a local politician the other day, we’ll keep begging. We’ll keep begging because what we don’t want to see is lives affected by us disappearing. Because if we don’t have a base, we might not be able to continue what we do.”
Learn how you can help by visiting their website here.
To hear more about Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention, check out this week’s episode of the Limerick Voice Podcast on Spotify or on our website under ‘Podcasts’.