Community & Youth Supports

14/04/2020

BALLINAGAR COVID-19 COMMUNITY RESPONSE CONTACT LIST.

If you think anyone in the area needs assistance contact any of the numbers on the list or contact Offaly Covid-19 Community Response Helpline on 1800 81 81 81.

 

Tip - Know your EIRCODE 

Topping up your supplies and don’t want to leave the house? Getting your groceries delivered is the solution. Don’t forget to provide your Eircode to help them get to you. If you need any help contact Declan HERE or Find yours HERE

 

COVID- 19 Update on Supports -Social Prescribing

We are:

  • continuing to make contact with individuals in this service to offer one to one support
  • Providing online tutorials for group activities

See HERE for more information.

COVID - 19 Update on Supports -  Ability Project (Step Up)

  • Providing one to one support via phone to all participants.
  • Developing online learning platforms with online tutorials for participants and learners

See HERE for more information.

RSS/TUS COVID- 19 Update on Supports 

  • Provision of delivery services for food and fuel and basic necessities as required
  • Ongoing contact with sponsor groups to check in and identify emerging needs
  • Ongoing contact with participants at this time.

See HERE  and HERE for more information 

SICAP COVID - 19 Update on Supports 

We continue :

  • Delivering support packs to children from homework clubs in Tullamore, and to youths in Scurragh in Birr who are part of the youth initiatives in the area.  Working in conjunction with the Schools completion programme in Birr to reach families/youths who would receive supports at this time of year to help in transition from primary to secondary school
  • One to one client support to those most vulnerable in our communities across all programmes. The frequency of supports varies from daily to weekly and is provided via telephone
  • Connecting with our community groups to develop new community actions at this time , planning for future actions and completing payments for projects that are complete at this time
  • Craft videos and ideas for activities created and uploaded to our website,
  • Continued support is provided to families, including homework, management of daily routines and financial issues in conjunction with TUSLA
  • Continued support being offered to 3 direct provision centers in Offaly – Dunkerrin, Banagher and Tullamore.

See HERE for more information

 

MenPower  COVID - 19 Update on Supports 

We continue to:

  • Support MenPower (formerly MOJO) graduates with deliveries and fielding requests for other practical supports by regular telephone contact with OLDC

See HERE for more information 

 

Refugee Resettlement Project - COVID - 19 Update on Supports 

We continue:

  • Keeping clients, who do not have English as their first language, updated about the unprecedented COVID-19 Pandemic.  Advising those on HSE guidelines and good practice to help stem the spread of the virus.
  • Circulating posters in Arabic via WhatsApp and speaking to families/individuals on a daily basis to directly to update them on the latest guidelines in their own language.
  •  Ensuring families have their basic needs meet provisions (food, Hygiene supplies, Phone and Internet). Advising them to stay safe in their homes and follow social distancing measures.  We encourage them to keep in contact with each other via telephone.
  • For families with young children, we also sent links to help them with school work and arts & crafts activities.
  • Regular contact via telephone and text to help them with every day issues that may arise.

See HERE for more information.

 

*Offaly Express 26th March 2020

An Offaly Meals on Wheels service is back on the road again

Kilcormac 'Meals on Wheels' is back on the road offering an expanded services to those who may need meals delivered to their homes in south and west Offaly during the Covid-19 outbreak.

The newly expanded service is a joint initiative between the Kilcormac Development Association (KDA) and the Offaly Local Development Company (OLDC), who will assist with the transportation of the meals.

The KDA, who run the service from St Joseph's Community Centre, announced the 'Meals on Wheels' programme was back up and running, delivering dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after it was forced to cease for a period due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Detailing the news, the KDA wrote: “With the help of some volunteers, we are back delivering dinners on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for the moment but understandably we might have to cease the service again at short notice if we are given a directive to do so. There is no collection service as the centre is closed to the public.”

Chairperson of the KDA, Cllr John Leahy told the 'Tribune' the meals delivery programme was back up and running and would now, not just focus on the elderly in the Kilcormac area, but would be offering meals to the vulnerable, the isolated or those who may need a meal delivered during this coronavirus outbreak.

Warmly welcoming the news, Cllr Leahy said the KDA was “looking forward” to working on this joint initiative with the OLDC. “We welcome this for the simple reason that we always wanted to expand the service. We have a state of the art kitchen in St Joseph's Community Centre. Our manager, Linda Kelly, along with her staff, all do excellent work on the provision of this vital service and it was always Linda's ambition to expand into other areas and this might be, unfortunate as it may be, an opportunity to this and show the capacity we have to deliver meals on wheels to more recipients.”

According to the Chairman, this could not be made possible without the support of the Health Service Executive (HSE), who provide supporting funding along with the KDA board, who has endorsed the project since its inception.

A huge thank you was also extended to the project's chef, administrators and staff of the KDA, volunteers, the CE participants and the TUS workers, who all work extremely hard to keep this project on the road. Cllr Leahy also thanked Offaly Local Development Company, who provided the vans and drivers to support the distribution of 'Meals on Wheels' programme.

Meanwhile, if you want to get in contact with the KDA, you can do so by telephoning (087) 99689029 or you wish to get a meal delivered please call (057) 91 35445 and the KDA will do their best to accommodate people.