Protest over Tús Nua closure

CLIENTS of a vital mental health service in Ballymun are holding a protest this Friday following confirmation that it’s to close for good in two months time.

Clients at Tús Nua Day Centre in Ballymun Shopping Centre say they were officially informed on Monday, July 7, that they would be individually assessed and moved to alternative facilities on the Northside.

Local resident and service user, Jenny O’Farrell, told Northside People that the day-long protest outside the Civic Centre in Ballymun would be supported by family and friends of the clients.

“We’re basically demonstrating to let the HSE know we think it’s a disgrace to take the service out of Ballymun,

? she said.

“We found out it was closing for definite on Monday. We had a meeting up in Tús Nua and we were informed that they were closing it on September 14.

“We’ll be assessed and depending on how that goes we’ll be moved to different centres in Swords, Coolock or wherever but that’s not going to work.

“Some people have mobility problems. We can’t see why they just can’t move us to a new premises in Ballymun instead of depriving the area of a badly needed service.

“We’re holding the protest outside the Civic Centre because there’s a council meeting there at 2pm and we want to catch the councillors going in and going out to see if they can do anything for us.

?

Last week local TD, John Lyons (Lab), highlighted the closure in the Dáil and called on the HSE and the Department of Health to maintain a community-based mental health service in Ballymun.

“I met a group of about 15 local people who rely on the Tús Nua service in Ballymun on Monday and they were very fearful about the future of the day centre,

? he said.

“Tús Nua is a safe haven for the 45 users of the service and a place where they can drop in to four or five times a week to talk to mental health professionals and to come to terms with problems they are experiencing.

?

The Tús Nua centre treats people with depression and anxiety through activities such as Arts & Crafts, computer classes and teaching relaxation techniques.

Deputy Lyons said it was also an important social link to the wider community for vulnerable people who may not otherwise leave their homes or engage with others at all.

“If the HSE is committed to putting the needs of the services users first in the relocation of this service as they say, then they must work with the Social Inclusion Unit in Dublin City Council and other parties to find a more suitable centre in the local area for these people,

? he continued.

“The people who attend Tús Nua have already overcome adversity to begin engaging with a local service in Ballymun. If they have to move to another venue outside Ballymun, it will see these people put in an even more vulnerable position.

?

The decision to close the centre was taken on the recommendation of a review group established by the HSE’s Dublin north city mental health management team.

The review group reported that the day centre was old and in poor condition, with only one fire exit, no lift access and that the shutters on the front window couldn’t be opened due to security concerns.

The HSE say the lease on these premises has also expired and, due to the regeneration plan for Ballymun, it cannot be renewed.

However, Deputy Lyons says the needs of the service users must come first and is calling for the centre to be relocated in the area.

“These are people who are so isolated from the general well-being of society that getting on a bus is as traumatic as can be,

? he said.

“If the HSE is putting the needs of service users first, it will take into account that these are the genuine needs of many service users. It is not that they will not, it is that they cannot.

“They are so bloody vulnerable that they will not be in a position to travel elsewhere. If the HSE thinks it is acceptable to assess their needs and to ignore the reality that most of these people cannot get on a bus and engage in the way we do, it is not listening to their needs.

“We all know of the shopping centre issue. However, where there is a will, there is a way.

?