The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
AN Ennis mental health support centre is on the brink of closure unless funding can be secured.
An extraordinary general meeting takes place in Emotions Peer Support Centre on Monday at 12 noon to see if funding can be secured to save the facility. Since the centre opened in May 2012, it has had 7,200 visits from people seeking support from volunteers.
It costs about €18,500 to run the centre annually, which pays for expenses including rent, electricity and other items.
Liam Minogue of Emotions Peer Support said the centre has been a huge success. He said the HSE staff have participated in a Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP) Peer Support Group workshop at the centre, which could be provided for clients in day facilities run by the HSE in Ennis, Shannon, Lisdoonvarna, Ennistymon and Kilrush.
He said the drop-in centre had provided a vital lifeline for hundreds of people experiencing mental health or psychological difficulties. Stating that closing the centre was a “last resort”, he hopes that some solution can be found over the coming days to prevent its demise.
He added it would be a major setback in the battle to reduce the number of people who take their own lives or engage in acts of self-harm.
By Dan Danaher
