Finding refuge in Clare Haven Services

SAFE Ireland’s third annual one-day census report shows in a 24-hour period in 2010, 555 women and 324 children were accommodated or received support from a domestic violence service.

Denise Dunne, services manager with Clare Haven Services told The Clare Champion, on a local level, cuts in funding are being felt at the same time as demand for services is growing.
“Over the last three years our funding has been consistently cut. Looking into 2012 and 2013, I’m sure that’s going to continue. As the resources have been cut, the demand for the services has increased substantially. We’re seeing an unprecedented level of women and children looking for support and looking for our services.”
She says it is very likely there will be even further cuts over the next couple of years. Clare Haven Services operate a rescue service, which has been extremely busy over the last few years.
“In 2008, we had 97 families and in 2009 it was 150. Last year we had 136 and this year, it’ll probably be about the same, we have 105 women so far. That’s working to full capacity the whole time. Our refuge can accommodate six families at one time, so the refuge is full the whole time,” she said.
Help is also offered outside of the refuge, she added. “That’s just part of our service; we have an outreach service and a drop-in centre as well. For those women and children, the refuge is a last resort, they’re fleeing their homes and support systems and coming into a refuge. Not every woman needs that, we have other women who come to the drop-in centre and the outreach clinics. A lot of women come to those and receive the same type of support.”
Money is often withheld from women, she says. “A lot of the women presenting to us are experiencing extreme financial abuse. If money’s tight, a lot of the time women experience financial abuse. If their partner controls all the money and if they need basic essentials, they have to ask their partner and they may be turned down. What we’re seeing is women coming into the refuge who have nothing to bring with them. They’re literally coming with just the clothes on their back. We’ve been sending a lot of women to St Vincent de Paul and to MABS.”
While large numbers are contacting Clare Haven and Safe Ireland, Ms Dunne says many more are suffering in silence. “We have to bear in mind the women and children who do not report domestic violence, who aren’t coming to services.”
Clare Haven have a 24 hour confidential helpline which can be reached at 065 6822435.