Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention has launched a new campaign, ‘Give Hope A Home’, as the charity faces the prospect of losing its current premises 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, according to its representatives, has not received funding from the local authority or central government despite making several requests. Speaking to the Limerick Voice Podcast, Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the charity, David O’Mahony, said the organisation had struggled to secure support from elected representatives and public bodies.
“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.”
O’Mahony said that “the last thing we wanted to do was put this burden on the people of Limerick,” but that the organisation had now launched its ‘Give Hope A Home’ campaign. The charity is appealing to the public for help in identifying suitable premises near the River Shannon, with two to three rooms and secure storage space 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.”
In Limerick City and County Council and Limerick Twenty Thirty’s response they stated:
Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention has occupied space at Limerick Twenty Thirty’s (LTT) Cleeves Riverside Quarter site on a rent-free basis since 2022, with additional support provided by LTT, a wholly owned special purpose vehicle of Limerick City and County Council.
As the site is earmarked for future redevelopment, the organisation will ultimately require alternative accommodation.
Limerick Twenty Thirty has continued to accommodate LTSP throughout the ongoing Flaxmill works and regularly reviews occupancy arrangements in line with the development programme. LTT will continue to engage with Limerick Treaty Suicide Prevention as the programme progresses.
Learn how you can help LTSP 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’.