A VOLUNTARY
housing organisation has opened new premises in the city centre.
Lord Mayor of
Dublin, Cllr Andrew Montague officially opened the facility for Clúid Housing
Association on Amiens Street last week.
The premises
will house Clúid’s head office and eastern regional office, as well as a
national contact centre for all its residents.
Clúid develops
and manages rented housing for people on low incomes and people with special
needs. It currently manages almost 5,000 homes across the country.
Refurbishment
Clúid acquired
its new premises earlier this year, and the building underwent a significant
refurbishment over the summer months.
The head office
and eastern regional office are now operating from Amiens Street, and Clúid’s
new centralised contact centre will begin operating at the same location in
January 2012.
Previously,
Clúid’s head office was located on nearby Killarney Street in Dublin 1, while
its eastern regional office was in Santry.
Delighted
Brian O’Gorman,
chief executive of Clúid, said the organisation was delighted with its new
home.
“We have
thrived in the middle of this city centre community for nearly 10 years and,
when we began looking for new premises, we were keen to remain in this area,
?
he stated.
“Dublin 1 has
great transport connections and where we are now on Amiens Street means we are
in close proximity to important stakeholders like Dublin City Council on Wood
Quay and the Department of the Environment in the Customs House.
“We intend to
make our Amiens Street premises a resource for our nationwide organisation, the
surrounding community and the wider housing sector.
?
Grow
Mr O’Gorman
said the facility would give them the capacity to grow and develop new
projects, as well as to advise other social housing landlords on best-practice
approaches to customer service.
“Our new
contact centre will be the first of its kind in Ireland, the first centralised
contact centre for social housing tenants,
? he added.
Lord Mayor of
Dublin, Cllr Andrew Montague said Clúid was to be congratulated for a number of
reasons.
World-class
“Firstly, it is
opening a world-class facility for social housing residents, the first of its
kind in Ireland,
? he stated.
“Secondly, it
is contributing to job creation at a time when new jobs are badly needed.
“And, thirdly,
it is responding proactively to recent developments and changes in the social
housing sector.
?
The Lord Mayor
said it was now widely acknowledged by policymakers that voluntary housing
organisations have a crucial role to play in meeting social housing demand.
“Clúid has
proven itself to be both capable and willing to take on an expanded role,
? he
added.
Ten new jobs
have been created as a direct result of the new Clúid contact centre with this
figure expected to rise in the coming years.