Cork and Limerick among three new live-in facilities planned for homeless veterans

There are plans to open additional live-in centres for homeless veterans in Galway and Louth by 2026

The Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel (ONE) is also opening up its membership to serving Defence Forces members and will introduce a comprehensive ‘benefits programme’ that will be available to all. File Picture: Kieran Clancy/Irish Examiner

A military veterans’ charity is to establish three new live-in centres for homeless ex-service personnel and also plans to expand a pilot 24/7 mental health support hotline by opening it up to ex-forces families.

ONE (Organisation of National Ex-Service Personnel) chief executive, Cormac Kirwin, said the three new residential centres for homeless veterans will be opened over the next 18 months in Cork, Limerick and Newbridge, Co Kildare.

The building in Cork will open at 92 Ballyhooly Road and will contain six ensuite bedrooms, offering accommodation to veterans who are currently sleeping rough in the city and county. The former commanding officer’s house at Sarsfield’s Barracks, Limerick, will be converted to a five-six bed live-in facility and will also house a drop-in veterans’ support centre.

In Kildare, the charity has identified a property in Newbridge which will have six beds and a support centre. There is no requirement for a support centre in the Cork building as ONE has already opened one in the city at another location.

It’s envisaged that the Cork facility will cost up to €1.4m, the Limerick one less than €1m, and the Newbridge  centre in excess of €1.6m. The Government has ring-fenced money to pay for the bulk of these projects, but the ONE will have to provide one-tenth of their cost, which it will have to find from fundraising.

“We also intend to appoint our fifth Veterans’ Support Officer (VSO) who we expect will be placed in the Munster region,” Mr Kirwin said. It costs around €50,000 a year to employ a VSO.

Last year ONE set up what has proved to be a very successful 24/7 mental health support hotline. The call centre, which costs €25,000 per year to operate, is run on its behalf by Laya Spectrum and funded by the Leopardstown Hospital Trust.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here

Call takers refer any cases they get directly to the charity’s VSOs for follow-up help.

“The pilot project is to run for two years but we are looking to expand it so it’s not just for veterans but can be accessed by their families as well,” Mr Kirwin said.

The organisation is also opening up its membership to serving Defence Forces members and will introduce a comprehensive ‘benefits programme’ that will be available to all. It’s estimated there are around 145,000 serving and retired members of the Defence Forces.

By 2026, when the charity will celebrate its 70th anniversary, it plans to open additional live-in centres for homeless veterans in Galway and Louth and increase its VSOs to seven.

Mr Kirwin said ONE is also embarking on an academic-led survey to see what enhancements it can make in its services to veterans and their families. When the survey is completed, it will be given to the Government in the hope it will further fund veteran support services.