Minister Rabbitte in Longford to officially open new hub at St Christopher's Services

St Christopher’s new hub catering for school leavers to help them transition into adult life after leaving the comfort of the school environment was officially opened on Tuesday by Minister of State for Disabilities Anne Rabbitte.

The new services hub will be a centre for activity and ideas and will be dedicated to the development of young adults with disabilities.

Minister Rabbitte remarked, “I think it’s important that we meet the needs of everybody at everybody’s own level.

“That takes a lot of planning and time to ensure we get the right transitions so that the most complex cases can be addressed and people with the lower needs also can be addressed.”

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St Christopher’s CEO Marian Keigher also spoke at the launch saying, “Our services provide support and care for over 122 people.”

“The services we provide are needed to bridge the gap that society creates by the expectations of what is needed to live an independent life and the ability of a person to do so,” she explained.

Speaking with the Longford Leader, Jenny Rayson, Manager of Activation Services explained, “ We are opening a new unit for school leavers. We needed a space where they could learn independent skills and have a safe transition from the school into the community.”

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The Activation Pod has a state of the art sensory room for the service users to use.

“They are moving to a location that's familiar to them and accessible to the town as it is daunting for anyone when they go from school into adult life,” added Ms Rayson.

Senator Micheál Carrigy said, “St Christopher’s is embedded in Longford, it’s an integral part of the community. It’s important that the HSE funds these facilities.”

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He also commended the staff of St Christopher’s and the Activation Pod for supporting its service users with autonomy and independence.

St Christopher’s has faced a lot of hardship in the past year in lieu of financial issues and balloting from 130 staff members following a breach in agreement around the payment of increments.

Deputy Joe Flaherty remarked, “It is an important Ministerial visit after a difficult year for St Christopher’s. I want to pay tribute to the management here who have worked tirelessly over the last number of months to stabilise the ship. And I want to commend the HSE as well who have been very supportive.”

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Deputy Flaherty continued, “A further million euro was secured and put into the service last week, I still would make the case that the service is probably a million shy of core funding per annum.”

Minister Rabbitte outlined, “We had a very positive meeting between the board, the unions, the HSE, and the local representatives. St Christopher’s receives in excess of €14 million euro a year to operate, but that €14 million isn't enough to keep it ticking over and there's a residual debt that needs to be addressed there. The back payment for staff wages in excess of one million euro was also approved.”

The staff wages are separate from the deficit but these wages have been approved by the HSE and should be soon paid to the staff.

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Minister Rabbitte concluded, “I myself have a sustainability fund in this year's budget, which for the likes of St Christopher’s through section 39, to ensure that they are on a sustainable footing that could continue to provide services. I do see a bright future for St Christopher’s from a debt perspective.”