Housing Association celebrates 25 years of building communities in Cork

Housing Association celebrates 25 years of building communities in Cork
Celebratory event held in Respond! Complex, Cork

Respond!, Ireland’s largest housing association, celebrated 25 years of building houses and creating communities in Cork and nationwide by hosting a gala event in St Francis Gardens, Thomas Davis Street, Blackpool, Cork on Friday August 31st 2007. More than 150 attended the event which was a thank you to the people of Cork and a celebration of the work of Respond! over the past quarter century.

“It is timely that this event is taking place today as we are delighted to announce that funding approval of €4.5 million has been received for our proposed development in Coomlogane, Milstreet, Co Cork from the Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government” said Corkman Patrick Cogan, Managing Director of Respond!. “Building work on the 32 one-bed elderly apartments will commence in six to eight weeks with an estimated completion date of October 2008.”

At present, the housing charity manages 4,000 dwellings nationwide, with a further 1,500 under construction. With more than 320 units in Cork city and county, the organisation has provided housing to more than 1,000 people in Cork 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.

“We wanted to show our appreciation to all those who had volunteered for, and supported the organisation” Patrick Cogan added. “We never envisaged in the beginning the level of growth the organisation would achieve and we are very grateful to the people of Cork.”

The event which took place in St Francis Gardens, Blackpool 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 Eddie Hobbs (Broadcaster and Financial Consultant), Professor P.J. Drudy (Trinity College Dublin), Dr Rory O'Donnell (NESC), Fr. Sean Healy (CORI), John Fitzgerald (Limerick Regeneration Agencies), Sean Dorgan (IDA Ireland), Mick Wallace (Wexford Developer) and many, many more. Further information on this event can be obtained by contacting Aoife Walsh on 0818 357901 or emailing conference@respond.ie

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