Proposal for Emergency Funding to Minister Joe O’Brien
Dear Minster O’Brien,
I hope this email finds you well. I am writing to you on behalf of the Committee of Redress Focus Groups in relation to the request we have recently submitted to you through Padraig McLaughlin TD for much needed emergency funding for supports and resources for all affected by the defective concrete crisis.
The need for a support hub for all affected by the defective concrete crisis is essential and long overdue. Given the enormity and seriousness of the issue itself and the consequences of it in all aspects, emergency funding is now an urgent request.
The entire issue has gone from a manageable problem, to a crisis and now to a humanitarian crisis on top. Through our own visual surveys and estimations the true reality is not 5-7 thousand homes affected as widely reported, but upwards of 20 thousand homes at a minimum affected which translates to many more thousands of lives seriously directly or indirectly affected. These figures reflect homeowners alone and do not take in to consideration the true amount of commercial, public service buildings and so on affected.
To date the defective concrete crisis has received zero funding in terms of supports for practical and emotional help through this crisis.
The funding for mymind.ie has been pitiful in terms of what is actually needed and is not money well spent by any means. Mymind is based in Dublin so is a remote online counselling service for a maximum of 6 sessions for 6 people (75 hours) until the end of this year, 2023. Nowhere near sufficient.
The alternative of not providing supports to citizens during a crisis such as this is severe. I have clearly outlined these at the bottom of our Support Hub proposal attached.
Redress Focus Groups was established in January of this year and in only 10 months, we have achieved so much and proven beyond a doubt that we can make change happen together. All information can be found on our website at www.redressfocusgroups.ie
Attached is a proposal document for the Support Hub with costings, a link to the proposal on the website, and a link to Redress Focus Groups progress report which is quite remarkable in only 9 short months of being in existence.
Since this progress report we have now also:
– Built and released a comprehensive website, submitted a written submission to the draft Donegal County Plan 2024-2030 on the 13th of October re: the very worrying discovery that there is no mention of the defective concrete crisis in this 420 page document and also viable options for temporary accommodation to be made available for those needing to move from their homes during demolition and rebuild,
– Submitted a letter to the Ombudsman for Children, Mr. Muldoon requesting a meeting to discuss how they can get involved with urgent reports and reviews we need for children and young people living through this crisis.
– Requested a meeting with the Donegal County Council in order that we might establish a working relationship between Redress Focus Groups and various departments within the council to work efficiently together to resolve the many serious issues we are facing.
– Representatives of our Banking and Insurance group met with the EU delegation and I myself, as Chair and Founder of the Redress Focus Groups hosted the EU delegation in my home for almost an hour where I was able to relay a full picture of what is happening here from a homeowners perspective and also from the perspective of homeowners who have been forced to become activists and campaigners putting in extreme time and effort trying to get the help we need to fix this issue and get our lives back. I emphasised the complete absence of support from the government both physically and finacially.
Support Hub Proposal:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EbgGj88yStMZT2YG-YHXVfV3d66f2Y4pLUuwvZA0daw/edit?usp=sharing
Support Hub Proposal on website:
https://redressfocusgroups.ie/dcb-support-hub/
Redress Focus Groups progress report Sept ’23:
https://redressfocusgroups.ie/news/rfg-progress-report-september-2023/
Our website is an invaluable resource for homeowners which did not exist until its release recently. It is one we have worked immensely hard on and are very proud of. It is packed with information with so much more being added all the time. As with the initiative itself, everything in Redress Focus Groups is done to the highest standard with huge dedication. We want to work with the government and council in order to find pathways forward for the huge amount of serious issues that need to be solved aside from the scheme.
Unfortunately though, we can not sustain this level of commitment and professionalism without help nor should the people of Donegal be expected to get through this crisis without help.
Redress Focus Groups are a beacon of hope, not just for our entire county of Donegal but for all affected counties and indeed Northern Ireland who now also face this awful situation. They look to us a way forward out of the dark for their communities.
Our website explains in detail who Redress Focus Groups are, what we stand for and what we do. We have laid the groundwork and pathways for so much progress to be made on so many major issues and it is only right that we be allowed to continue this essential work in this unprecedented crisis.
The normal route of funding and ways of doing things do not apply in a crisis situation. We are not looking for another community centre here. A central hub is one of the first things thats is set up in any crisis situation, yet years in we have nothing even remotely like one anywhere and there is no sign of any forthcoming. We are looking at the tip of the iceberg here in this crisis, so we need to work fast.
Having looked for supports for over three years it is fair to say that emergency funding is now the only way. We need and deserve to be supported through this crisis so I hope all requests for emergency funding will now be given very serious consideration with time being of the essence.
We would also like to offer our availability to meet with you, either online or in person at your earliest convenience if you would like to discuss the proposal further and in more detail.
We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Proposal for Emergency Funding to Minister Joe O’Brien by email