REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE FAIRGREEN SHELTER
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE FAIRGREEN SHELTER, GALWAY ON TUESDAY 16 JUNE 1998
I would like to thank Jacquie Horan – the Director of Galway Voluntary Social Services – for her kind words of welcome this evening – and I would like to say how much I appreciate the warm and unusual welcome which I was given by the members of Macnas as I arrived. It must rank as one of the most unlikely guards of honour a President has ever received – and it is certainly one which I will not forget – especially whenever I come back to Galway.
Like most cities and towns in Ireland today – Galway is experiencing tremendous prosperity and growth – and when many people are talking about the great success of the Irish economy – the rise in affluence – the rise in employment and prosperity – it is sobering to realise that in every one of our cities - there are people who are finding themselves worse off – and can quite easily find themselves left behind. My visit to the Fairgreen Shelter Place this evening – which is primarily to open the new Shelter - is also to give recognition to those who are coping with this situation – the staff - and the residents who avail of the vital service that you are providing.
I am particularly glad to have this opportunity to meet with the management and staff of the Shelter – to hear about the work that you do in catering to the needs of the less fortunate in Galway – whose predicament is perhaps brought into sharper focus by the higher levels of affluence and prosperity that are all around us today. I know that while you are concerned mainly with providing short-term emergency accommodation for people who find themselves in need because of family crisis – or health problems – that a number of your residents are more long-term - and I was interested to hear of your plans to develop a further aspect of your work - in equipping people with the basic life-skills to make a move towards independent living.
Earlier today, I opened a new Housing Project for Focus in Limerick who, like yourselves – are dealing with the problems and difficulties of the homeless in their city – with a focus on dealing with the transitional aspect of the plight of the homeless. In your work you are concerned primarily with the crisis phase of homelessness – and as such are working very much in an emergency role. I want to commend you on your work – which is a manifestation of the concern and love of people for their fellow human beings in crisis. I know that it can be a difficult and thankless job – with too few resources at times to meet demands – and with an element of endlessness that can be frustrating and depressing. Dealing with emergency accommodation for the homeless – you are very well placed to see the extent of the problem – and to appreciate the kind of measures that are required to address the difficulties that you find in your work. This new shelter – providing accommodation – meals and support services – has developed out of your work to meet the needs of the homeless – and is itself a tribute to your hard work and dedication.
To those of you who are longer-term residents at ‘Fairgreen’ - I want to pay tribute to you for recognising that spirit of generosity – and for vindicating the staff in their spirit of care and help – and in their faith in you. I know that it would be impossible to compare you with each other – because you are individuals in your own right – with varying abilities and talents – different likes and dislikes – and with individual outlooks. With facilities like the new “training kitchen” you can be given a help to go on to greater independence. There may be setbacks – and there may be times when you feel that you are not making progress. These difficult hurdles are part of all our lives – but getting over them is itself an educational and enriching exercise. You will be the better and wiser for having come through – emerging with your dignity and self-esteem intact – and with a clearer focus on what you want to do.
Finally, I would like to pay tribute to the many people and organisations that have made this new shelter possible – the Department of the Environment who provided most of the funding for the construction of the shelter – the National Lottery and People in Need, who covered the cost of fittings and fixtures – Galway Corporation who provided the site – Tom May of the Diocesan Office, who managed the construction project. The Western Health Board and Galway Corporation are the main sources of revenue funding for the Shelter – and I understand that Galway Voluntary Social Services Ltd. will have to raise an additional £86,000 to keep the shelter services going this year alone. Clearly you have a considerable task in providing this service – in conjunction with the many other services which you provide to the people of Galway.
In declaring the new Fairgreen Shelter open - I want to wish you well in your work – which is providing comfort and refuge to many. I also want to express my hope that you can continue to provide your services for as long as they are required – and to the high standards that you have set for yourselves.