Inclusion Ireland welcomes move to open new development at St. Josephs, Portrane

Inclusion Ireland welcomes this morning’s announcement that 40 new staff will shortly be recruited for Knockamann, the 60-bed residential development for people with an intellectual disability at St. Joseph’s Intellectual Disability Service, Portrane, Co. Dublin. This facility was first proposed in 1998 and was finished in 2009. It comprises of 10 six-bed bungalows and will provide single room accommodation for people who are currently living in wards of up to 20 people, in an unsuitable, dilapidated building. Parents, residents and Inclusion Ireland, have been fighting for the opening of this development for many years.

At Inclusion Ireland’s 2010 AGM on 23rd April, Disability Minister John Moloney and opposition disability spokespeople, were directly questioned on why Knocknamann had not been opened. A resolution was passed at AGM by Inclusion Ireland members, calling on Knocknamann to be opened immediately. Inclusion Ireland CEO Deirdre Carroll paid tribute to the Parents and Friends Group of St. Joseph’s Association, saying “they have been courageous and persistent in their fight for new accommodation for people with a disability living in St. Josephs. For many, this fight has been going on for decades. The move to Knocknamann will have untold benefits for the many people who have spent their lives living in often horrendous conditions”.

ENDS

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