Clare Haven Services is a voluntary organisation providing 24 Hour residential refuge accommodation. It has a extensive range of support services to meet the needs of each individual and each family situation.
How did it all start?
We are often asked this question so here is a brief summary of the very beginning…
Mary FitzGerald and Colette Redington met by chance in 1993.
Mary arrived into work at Ennis Garda Station one morning where she saw a young mother and her children cuddled up in the reception area. She enquired as to what was the situation with them and was told that they had to leave home because of domestic violence and there was no place for them to go. After spending months in Romania and Calcutta doing voluntary work she figured it was time to look at social issues nearer to home. She started to make phonecalls…
Colette worked in the nearby Colaiste Muire and often came across the “fall out” from domestic violence in her classroom. She saw a young teenager having to leave school as her mother and siblings were in refuge in the refuge in Limerick. She decided to visit Adapt and see if there was something she could do.
Mary contacted Adapt and got Colette’s name and wrote her a letter asking to meet up.
Both women joined forces and Clare Haven was born.
Our Service Today
Clare Haven has grown to be in a position to provide a broad suite of service from humble beginnings. This is with thanks to the dedication of our current board and its predecessors, the professionalism and commitment of all our staff current and past as well as the generosity and kindness of individuals and businesses across Clare.
Watch this short film to understand our work and our journey: