On Friday 5th December, the Minister of State with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People, Jim Daly TD officially launched the Waterford Age Friendly Alliance City and County Strategy 2017-2022 in John’s College. During the visit, Minister Daly viewed all of the information stands and talked to the residents of John’s College while touring the facilities on the campus.

The Minister also had time to drop in to Dermot Power and was highly impressed with the views of Waterford City from the apartment. Eleanor Gaffney and the John’s College Choir added some festive cheer to the occasion with a magnificent performance and nobody went home disappointed.

The Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme is part of a worldwide, World Health Organisation inspired movement which embraces the challenges and opportunities that our ageing population presents by facilitating local authorities to take the lead on changing thinking about ageing, and how services are planned and delivered.

The Waterford Age Friendly City Programme started a number of years ago with Waterford City and Council as the Lead Agency. Over the last number of years, a multi-agency Alliance was formed with a number of Older People representing their peers as well as representatives from the relevant Statutory, Community and Voluntary agencies across Waterford City and County.

During the visit, Minister Daly viewed all of the information stands and talked to the residents of John’s College while touring the impressive facilities on the campus.

During his speech Minister Daly stated:

“The development of this strategy demonstrates how different organisations and agencies can work together in partnership to deliver something great for their community.  Multi-agency planning with public and stakeholder consultation is the most effective way we can deliver services and indeed solutions for our communities.”

According to Michael Walsh, Chairperson Waterford Age Alliance and Waterford City and County Council Chief Executive:

“With regard to the aging demographic in Waterford, both in urban and rural areas, it is seen as imperative for everyone to begin the planning process to future proof and age proof any and all developments and services provided to the public. It is with this in mind that the Waterford Age Friendly Alliance has worked to develop this five year strategy document which will be implemented with immediate effect”

The John’s College choir concluded proceedings and added some festive cheer to the air.

About the Age Friendly Ireland Programme

As in all other countries in the world, the population of Ireland is ageing. To plan for this, in 2013 the Department of Health published the National Positive Ageing Strategy. The Strategy sets out a vision for an age-friendly society through the achievement of four national goals (participation, health, security and research). It recognises that all sectors of society – government, businesses, voluntary groups, service providers, local authorities and the general public – have a part to play in creating an age-friendly society.

The Strategy allocates lead responsibility for its Priority Action Areas to various Government Departments and agencies.

Posted: December 2017

Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government Eoghan Murphy TD officially opened the new Respond social housing development in Chanel Manor, Coolock, Dublin 5. Chanel Manor is now home to 16 families with 103 individuals including 69 children in their new homes for life. All 16 families were previously on the social housing waiting list for Dublin City Council.

Minister Murphy said:

“I am delighted to be here today to open these wonderful homes. Providing homes is a permanent solution to housing families and I want to commend Respond for their hard work in developing these homes. I‘m glad that my Department could assist financially. Next year we will spend close to €2billion on social housing programmes and many more families will be removed from social housing waiting lists and housed nationwide. I wish all of the residents a merry Christmas and many years of happiness in their new homes.”

“I cannot tell you how thrilled I and my family are that we are now in our new home. The house is beautiful! We now have enough bedrooms for us all and I truly believe this is the lease of life we all needed. I and my five children had been in seriously overcrowded conditions for years before and this was affecting us all. Now the children are happy to have their friends come around and I feel this is our new hope – the hope that we can live now in the space that we need – and the hope, which I can see is already happening, that my children are happier and more confident about the rest of their lives.”

“Today is what Respond is all about – building homes and creating communities for those in severe housing need. The houses here are beautiful and of very high quality and only rightly so. Respond is committed to adding at least 2,500 more homes to its existing stock of 4,225 units in the course on the next few years

We know that the long-term answer to our housing and homelessness crisis lies in addressing the severe shortfall in social housing supply. Today is one small part of that overall answer. I would like to thank the Minister, the Department, Dublin City Council and Marlet construction for helping us provide the new homes today”.

Chanel Manor was built with loan finance from the Housing Finance Agency, a Capital Advance Lease Facility (CALF) and Payment and Availability Agreement from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.

Posted: 19th December 2017