Calls for community housing scheme in Wexford to allow older people to live independently for longer
Wexford PeopleHopes of developing a specialised housing scheme in Wexford for people who require additional supports have been dashed after the local council said it is obliged to integrate such tenants with the wider community. Following the opening of Richmond Place in Co Dublin, Councillor Biddy Walsh asked whether a similar development could be trialled in her home town.
“We have new developments springing up all over Wexford town but I have concerns about where they are located in terms of establishing a community,” she said at the March meeting of Wexford County Council (WCC). “There is a new development in Richmond Place created for people who may need assistance. The model we currently have is just to put people into a one-bed property at the top of a hill, should we be looking at the bigger picture here?”
Richmond Place consists of 52 social houses and has been designed to reduce reliance on hospital and nursing home care. It is focused on enabling older people to live independently in their communities, with on-site health support services, as well as shared indoor and outdoor spaces that help reduce isolation.
“I believe there is a need for that here,” continued Cllr Walsh, “there is enough people who can live independently but just need a bit of support.”
In response, director of services Carolyne Godkin said the council’s allocations unit works “closely with the HSE for tenants who need support packages, so it’s in place already”.
"However, we can’t congregate them in the same place,” she added. “We are obliged to integrate people with additional needs into the wider community, so one in every ten properties goes to someone with disabilities.”