Housing Association celebrates 25 years of building communities in Laois

Respond!, Ireland’s largest housing association, celebrates 25 years of building houses and creating communities in Laois and nationwide by hosting a gala birthday event in their new Community Centre in Gort na nÓir, Mountrath Road, Abbeyleix on Friday September 14th at 5pm. More than 200 residents, volunteers and local community groups have been invited to attend the event which is a thank you to the people of Laois and a celebration of the work of Respond! over the past quarter century.

“We wanted to celebrate our 25th birthday, as well as showing our appreciation to all those who had volunteered for, and supported the organisation” said Patrick Cogan, ofm, Respond! Managing Director. “We never envisaged in the beginning the level of growth the organisation would achieve and we are very grateful to the people of Laois and the Midlands for all the support they have offered us.”

At present, the housing charity manages 4,000 dwellings nationwide, with a further 1,500 under construction. With housing developments in Abbeyleix, Portlaoise and Graiguecullen, the organisation has provided housing to more than 1,000 people in the Midlands since it was founded in 1982. Respond! employs more than 430 people nationwide in a variety of different areas including community development, estate management, family resource and childcare, education, research and development, architecture and design, production, administration, human relations and legal affairs.

“Respond! is an organisation that seeks to create a positive future for people by alleviating poverty and creating vibrant, socially integrated communities. We do this through providing access to not only housing but also education, childcare, community development programmes, and other supports” Mr. Cogan, ofm, added.

The event taking place in Gort na nÓir, Mountrath Road, Abbeyleix is one of a programme of activities to mark the 25 years. Celebrations will culminate in an International Conference in Dublin on October 11th and 12th 2007 with confirmed speakers including The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, John Gormley, TD, Eddie Hobbs (Broadcaster and Financial Consultant), Professor P.J. Drudy (Trinity College Dublin), Dr Rory O'Donnell (NESC), Dr. Seán Healy, SMA (CORI), John Fitzgerald (Limerick Regeneration Agencies), Seán Dorgan (IDA Ireland), Mick Wallace (Wexford Developer) and many, many more. Further information on this event can be obtained by contacting 0818 357901 or emailing conference@respond.ie

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