Funding boost announced for women's refuge centre in Waterford

A women's refuge centre in Waterford is to receive €300,000 in government funding, it has been confirmed. 

Located close to Waterford city centre, Oasis House provides a safe and supportive place for women and their children to stay if they have been subjected to domestic violence.

The centre is one of those which will benefit from a €6.3m funding announcement for domestic, sexual and gender-based violence (DSGBV) services.

A total of 43 organisations across the country, including Oasis House, were deemed successful following an evaluation process conducted by Tusla in collaboration with the Department of Justice. The funding from individual organisations ranges from €10,000 to more than €420,000.

“This additional 6.3 million in funding is testament to this Government’s steadfast commitment to tackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence and to supporting the services on the frontline who are supporting victims.

"We know more people are seeking help from domestic, sexual and gender-based violence services, and we are determined to ensure that the necessary supports and staffing is there to meet the demands across the country, including for young people and in rural areas," commented the Minister for Justice Helen McEntee.

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Waterford-based Senator John Cummins has welcomed the funding announcement which will enable Oasis House to expand its services. 

"I have worked on a number of exceptionally difficult cases over the years in my role as a politician and I have always found the team at Oasis House to be very supportive of constituents who need help. Minister McEntee has taken an exceptionally strong approach as Minister for Justice on this topic and she rightly ensured ring fenced funding was put in place to further develop services and supports for women who are subjected to awful instances of domestic violence," he said.

The funding will be used to resource the roll out of a Childrens First Outreach service as well as works on a single-storey extension and the repurposing of four units to domestic violence accommodation.