Esker House hoping to expand legal services to South Roscomon
Esker House Women’s Refuge and Support Service in Athlone are planning to expand their court and legal services to South Roscommon following a huge allocation of funding by government to support victims of crime.
Manager of Esker House , Deirdre Berry, has said that the funding totalling €5.25 million announced by Minister Simon Harris is “very positive.”
Esker House has received over €99,000 in funding as part of this initiative to to support victims of crime and meet increased costs. Ms Berry said they are also hoping to get further funding from TUSLA this year.
“It's a 100% increase on last year. We were surprised. It's really good for Athlone and Westmeath because government backing is there to really respond to the need.”
Minister for Justice, Simon Harris, said: “The work of so many organisations across the country that help victims of crime is outstanding, and I’m delighted to provide this funding to help ensure these services are available to all victims who need them, to a consistently high standard. We recognise the significant difficulties faced by many through increased costs and inflation.
“We are committed to building a victim-centred criminal justice system and, in general terms, this funding will increase the organisations’ ability to provide supports and services as victims engage.”
With the funding Esker House is hoping to expand their court and legal advocacy services to South Roscommon. They host a court clinic for service users in Athlone District Court on Wednesdays.
They support women to assess their eligibility for a court order, attend court with the women, conduct safety plans and educate them on how to use a court order correctly and assist with applications of legal aid and the appointment of a solicitor.
Esker House will be expanding further by building a new refuge centre in the future. They will be appointing a Project Manager later this month and are currently looking for a site and funding to cover construction costs.