Respond | Housing Association

The Board of Respond Housing Association wishes to announce the retirement of Fr. Patrick Cogan, ofm, from his role as Chief Executive Officer.

In doing so the Board is especially pleased that Pat will be staying on as a non-executive director and will have a continuing advisory role to Respond and a sister company, Respond (Support) Ltd. In particular, this advisory role will include finalising, and completion of planning, of a number of very important initiatives and projects presently in hand.*

Respond Management Changes from 1st June 2015

Pat was one of the founder members of Respond in 1981 and has been its CEO for over thirty years. Due to his dedication, commitment and effective leadership he has guided and overseen the growth and development of Respond as a major influence in the Housing Association development sector. During that period Respond has been involved in the construction of approximately 5,500 dwellings working in close co-operation and partnership with Government Departments, Local authorities and other Housing Associations and citizens generally.

Also, in 2008 Pat initiated Sivile, a Housing Association in South Africa, to work in the region of Kokstad in cooperation with Archbishop William Slattery, originally from Killenaule and a Franciscan classmate of Pat’s.

A particular hallmark of the work of Respond has been the emphasis on social inclusion, personal dignity, sustainable community development and facilitation of access to educational opportunities. This ethos which has underpinned the approach of Respond since its foundation is due in no small measure to the positive values as set out by Pat from the beginning.

The members of the Respond Board wish to express their sincerest appreciation to Pat for all his service to the Mission and work of Respond and to acknowledge his many positive achievements in the provision of social and integrated housing over the years.

Signed: Niall Bradley (Chairman, Respond) Date: May 5th, 2015

* These projects include the redevelopment of St. John’s College, Waterford;
High Park construction project, Dublin;
Regeneration Proposal for Blackpool Village, Cork,
And the national development of the Better Being (Mental Health) initiatives.

Information on Respond Housing Association:
Respond was founded in Waterford in 1981 by Franciscans and incorporated in 1982.

Its Mission, as a christian inspired organisation, is ‘to prevent and relieve hardship and distress amongst those who are homeless and amongst those in need who are living in adverse housing conditions. To empower individuals and develop their skills for the benefit of the community as a whole.’

To date, Respond has provided some 5,500 dwelling units for families, homeless and disabled persons, older persons and those in need, nationally in some 150 estates: it expects to have provided another 400 dwelling units at least over the next couple of years.

Respond has also constructed 86 community buildings to meet the Community Development needs of its residents, and to that end it also provides 26 pre- and after-school facilities for children on its estates.

To date: Respond has provided:

345 dwellings in Waterford City, (with an additional 67 now starting in John’s College: totalling 412)
160 dwellings in County Waterford.
505 dwellings in all

It also supports 5 Day-Care Centres, one each in Tolka Valley and Baldoyle/Dublin, Blackpool/Cork, Westlands/Wexford, and Waterford. Refuges for families suffering from domestic abuse are facilitated in Springfield/Tallaght, Suaimhneas/Moyross and Haven House/Ennis. A further Day-Centre is under construction in John’s College, Waterford.

All of Respond’s designs and construction are planned by its own inhouse Design and Production team of qualified architects and technicians.

It has been validated as Respond College with courses approved under both FETAC and HETAC. This educational outreach is due to Respond’s Objective which is ‘to advance education, relieve poverty and to further other charitable purposes beneficial to the community’.

It has a cohort of strong national strategies on:

Community Development
Estate Management
Services for Older Persons
Better Being-Mental Health
Housing for Travellers
Corporate Strategy
Child Protection
National Education

Respond is responsive to the needs of other bodies and has assisted many other housing associations and of local authorities in designing or/and managing their estates.

Biographical Note on Patrick Cogan, ofm

Born in Cork in 1945, Patrick Cogan ofm, (B.A., B.D., STL) has been a member of the Franciscan Order since 1962. Ordained a priest in 1970, he was assigned for eight years to the Franciscan Friary in Ennis. Since 1970 he has worked intensively in community development projects particularly those that sought to improve the quality of life for low-income families. Appointed to Waterford as Guardian of the Franciscan Community in 1978 he also worked as a Hospital Chaplain in Ardkeen and, later, as an Industrial Chaplain, as well as being a tutor in the Adult Education Centre. He has served two terms on the Provincial Council of the Franciscans.

He is a founder-director of the Respond Housing Association since 1981. A capsule of this organisation’s work is set out above.

Patrick was the founding chairman of Sivile, a Housing Association which Respond set up in South Africa, in 2008. It has established two training and care centres, one each in Kokstad and Hardenburg.

He was also a ministerial appointee for four consecutive terms (5 years each term) on the Board of the Housing Finance Agency, plc. He served for three terms on the benchmarking Quality Action and Performance Verification Groups of the local authority sector by the Minister for the Environment.

He was a member of a Joint Delegation which addressed an Oireachtas Committee on ‘Housing Affordability’ in 1999. Also, in October 09, he headed up a delegation to the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Finance and the Public Service on the proposal entitled, ‘Homeowners Mortgage Support Scheme’.

Patrick, having reached the age of 70, considers it is time now to pass the baton to a new leader: Patrick will continue to work with Respond as set out above.