ALONE celebrates opening of 11 new apartments for older people at risk of homelessness

PRESS RELEASE

Charity for older people welcomes new tenants to refurbished homes

Dublin, 24th July 2018 ALONE, the charity that supports older people to age at home, celebrated the completed refurbishment and tenanting of 11 new units of housing for older people in Earls Court, Dublin 8 today. Cllr Sonya Stapleton, representing the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Eoghan Murphy TD, attended the launch and visited residents in their new homes.

ALONE acquired the units to house older people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness as part of the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland action plan. The purchase was made possible with funding from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government through Dublin City Council (DCC), combined with loan finance advanced by the Housing Finance Agency (HFA).

Since May, ALONE has renovated the homes to an age-friendly standard with assistance from Community Finance Ireland (CFI). Throughout the renovation process, over 150 volunteers took part in 11 corporate volunteer days to paint and clean apartments in anticipation of their new residents. Over the coming days, ALONE staff will continue to move tenants into their new homes.

Now tenants of ALONE, these older people have security of tenure. ALONE staff will provide flexible support levels as the person’s needs change. ALONE volunteers will provide friendship, social events, and practical supports. All tenants will also be offered ALONE’s assistive technology, BConnect, if and when required.

Cllr Stapleton said, “Since the purchase of these units in April of this year, ALONE has worked tirelessly to provide suitable, age-friendly and comfortable homes for older people in need of permanent accommodation. Their journey over the past few months has shown how meaningful impact can be made by such projects and offers encouragement to similar organisations as we work collaboratively to solve the housing crisis.”

Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy TD, said, “I am delighted to be part of the formal opening of this special project delivering these much needed homes. This project reflects the Government’s commitment to providing homes for people in their area of choice further empowering people to stay in their communities and safeguard the quality of life for all who live within them. I am witnessing on a daily basis the endeavors of the AHB sector to provide appropriate housing solutions. Earls Court perfectly demonstrates how the Sector, working with Local Authorities, are responding in a focused way to this challenge and ensuring people are supported as their needs change throughout their lifetime. ALONE have developed a very worthy project here with these high-quality purpose-built homes, delivered through a collaborative and holistic approach, which will benefit the community as a whole.’”

Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said, “Earls Court marks ALONE’s largest acquisition of property and we are delighted to be providing new tenants with the keys to their homes. We’re focused on removing the instability many have experienced and hope to more than double our housing units over the next five years, to continue supporting the growing number of older people in need. As outlined in ALONE’s housing report launched last week, a range of housing options for older people is urgently needed and these units are a step towards this goal.”

For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of a vulnerable older person in the community, ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032 or at www.alone.ie. The charity, which depends on donations from the public, has staff and volunteers ready to act on calls and requests for assistance.

ENDS

About ALONE
Established in 1977, ALONE supports older people to age at home. ALONE works with those who have issues with loneliness and social isolation, lack of services, poor health, poverty, homelessness or housing. ALONE provides Support Coordination, Housing with Support, Befriending and Campaigning services to over 1,000 older people nationwide every week. ALONE’s services are quality approved and are delivered 365 days a year.

For more information contact:
Lauren Freir, Limelight Communications, lauren.freir@limelight.ie, 01 668 0600, 087 238 0853
Kathryn Byrne, Limelight Communications, kathryn.byrne@limelight.ie, 01 668 0600, 086 233 6033