The steering committee for a potential Family Resource Centre in Longford Town has launched its Needs Assessment Report today. The presentation stressed the impact these centres can have on local families, who have described the support as a 'lighthouse on stormy waters.' An application was submitted to be reviewed by Tusla among another 49 submissions from around the country, and a decision on its outcome is expected by October.
The launch heard Longford Town has one of the highest levels of deprivation in the country with a large number of child-protection referrals. Longford-Westmeath TD Micheál Carrigy attended the event -- he says the existing centres in Granard and Ballymahon have made a huge difference to families there:
Community activist Sadia Athar is also backing the call for the establishment of a centre in Longford Town. She says it will provide supports to communities from multicultural backgrounds to integrate in the county:
