The Haven Hub launch a success - opening imminent
The Haven Hub in Mitchelstown were delighted with a very successful launch night in The Firgrove Hotel on Wednesday evening last week, where they were joined by members of Mitchelstown community, and further afield, for a fundraising drive for the mental health facility in the town.
While crowds were reduced owing to the continuing prevalence of Covid-19, organiser Carmel O’Gorman reported a successful evening, and thanked those who made it possible.
“We raised over €240 in the draw, and of course I’d like to say thank you to all our sponsors, and to The Firgrove Hotel for providing us with the room.”
While the opening has been delayed by administration formalities, The Haven Hub is a much-anticipated service that will be available to the entire community once it is operational.
The after-hours support centre will provide for people that are struggling to cope with mental health issues, or at risk of suicide. The Hub will be based out of Forrest Hall on Saturday nights between 7pm and 11pm. There will also be a phone line available between those hours for people who can’t physically make it to the group.
There is a GoFundMe page available for donations, as The Haven Hub must pay insurance costs, as well as any ancillary costs associated with the voluntary organisation, such as specialised training.
MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Speaking previously with TheAvondhu, Ms O’Gorman explained what the structure of the service will look like.
“We will have three trained volunteers on every Saturday night, and we will also have a phone number during those hours. I’m really looking forward to seeing the opening of the centre.”
Figures from the CSO from February of this year show that people are reporting more feelings of negative mental health than in previous years. In February, the mean score of ‘Overall Life Satisfaction’ was 5.8 out of 10. This is the lowest its ever been since records began in 2013.
The Samaritans reported that in the 12 months since lockdown began, that ‘ loneliness’ and ‘ isolation’ were a concern in almost 30% of the calls they received. This was a total of 680,000 contacts, and a 9% increase on the previous year.