€10,000 funding boost for Greystones Family Resource Centre arrives amid ongoing pressure on its future

By Hugh O'Farrell Walsh, The Wicklow People

Greystones Family Resource Centre has been awarded a €10,000 capital grant under the government’s new €1.36 million Family Resource Centre Capital Fund, giving the organisation a welcome injection of money at a time when it is working from temporary accommodation and facing uncertainty about its long-term home.

The allocation is part of a nationwide package that provides €10,000 to 136 family resource centres across the country.

The funding can be used for minor building works, accessibility improvements, equipment, ICT upgrades, furniture and fittings, or energy efficiency measures. It must be spent by the end of 2026 and cannot be used for staffing.

Earlier this year, the centre was forced to leave its long-standing premises in Charlesland, after its rent rose from €12,000 to €19,000.

The 55pc increase pushed the organisation into a temporary warehouse in Kilcoole, interrupting therapeutic services, parenting programmes, crisis intervention work and supports for refugees and vulnerable families.

Jenny Kerrigan, a staff member with Greystones Family Resource Centre, with members of Kilcoole Men's Shed, where the centre has found a temporary base to operate from. © Greystones Family Rescource Centre

The relocation announcement prompted renewed attention on the centre’s situation, with councillors noting that the organisation’s displacement had already sparked wider discussion about the fragility of community infrastructure in Wicklow.

At their July monthly meeting, councillors raised concerns about community buildings, inaccessible facilities and the reliance on commercial leases for essential social services.

They pointed to developments where promised community spaces have yet to materialise and others where facilities exist but are not accessible or usable.

Tánaiste and Wicklow TD Simon Harris said the centre plays a vital role for families in Greystones, Delgany, Kilcoole, Newcastle and Newtownmountkennedy, offering support to parents, young people, older residents and those facing crisis.

He said the grant would help the centre continue its work and that he would keep pushing for government support for local services.

The Family Resource Centre Programme, administered by Tusla, provides universal and targeted supports including counselling, education, advocacy, youth groups and practical assistance.

The capital fund announced this week is intended to help centres upgrade facilities and improve accessibility, safety and energy performance.

Councillors have said they want to see a permanent solution found, and officials have invited the centre’s board to engage directly with the council.

The €10,000 grant will help with immediate needs, but the question of where the centre will ultimately be based in the longer term remains open.