Visitors to the Red Door Project on the Dublin Road are always made very welcome, the kettle seldom cools down such is the demand for tea and a chat.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee was paying her first visit to the drugs and alcohol addiction service yesterday and she too enjoyed the warm welcome of Louise Mahony and her staff about whom she was fulsome in her praise.
Red Door clients and staff members were engaged in a snooker competition when the Minister arrived but her schedule was so tight that it was straight down to business in the meeting room upstairs.
The snooker players carried on regardless and there was no huge disappointment visible on their faces as they competed for the prize which was a box of Milk Tray chocolates which was won by Joe Conor who said he’d be giving them to his Mam.
One of the other players did say that it was a shame he couldn’t get to meet the Minister for Justice because he has a court date soon and it would have been nice to get a recommendation from her.
The reason for the Minster’s visit was to announce the extension of the term of the Drogheda Implementation Board by another 12 months until September 2024.
Since its establishment, the Board has delivered on and overseen a number of positive developments for Drogheda including many at the Red Door. They include:
- A new Drugs Treatment Court Liaison Case Worker situated within the Red Door Project, via Dormant Accounts funding
- A new Prison Link worker situated within the Red Door Project for 2 years, funded by the Community Safety Innovation Fund 2022
- A new dedicated Youth Officer post to deliver on the Drogheda Implementation Plan, funded by The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
- Funding for short-term, targeted counselling interventions for primary school aged children impacted by trauma in three schools on the Southside of Drogheda
- Additional funding for an alternative learning programme for young people aged 13-16 who have dropped out of the school system through the Community Safety Innovation Fund 2022 (New Choice Project, run by Foroige)
Minister McEntee said:
“The Drogheda Implementation Board has driven improvements in Drogheda that have a real impact on people’s lives.
“This includes key support workers for those caught up in offending behaviours and drug use, educational resources for early-school leavers, trauma counselling for primary school children who most need it and a major electrical apprenticeship programme that will provide permanent jobs and boost educational opportunities in Drogheda.
“We have also invested money from my Community Safety Innovation Fund, which re-invests the proceeds of crime in communities, in projects in Drogheda.
“And I also secured an additional €100,000 worth of funding on behalf of the Drogheda Implementation Board in Budget 2023, which has been allocated to a new small grants fund for community organisations in the Drogheda area.”
When the new Louth Community Safety Partnership (LCSP) is established it will then bring forward the work of the Drogheda Implementation Board.
