Sinn Féin - On Your Side

Ryan calls for urgent action to bring homes for older people back into use

26 April, 2022 - by Patricia Ryan TD


St Vincent's Hospital Athy

Sinn Féin TD for South Kildare, Patricia Ryan, has called for urgent action to refurbish homes for older people in McAuley Court, Athy. Speaking at her constituency office in Athy, Patricia said:“McAuley Court consists of ten one-bedroom Older Persons units located on the grounds of St Vincent’s Hospital, Athy. In answer to my recent parliamentary question, the Department of Health confirmed that just four of the 10 homes are occupied. These homes are in a poor state of repair and we need urgent action to bring them up to standard and to ensure all of them are available for occupation.

The lands on which the Scheme was built are owned by Kildare County Council and the Health Service Executive. The Department of Health tell me that there are renewed attempts to regularise the Housing and to transfer the management of these homes to an approved housing body. There are works to be completed on the empty homes on the hospital grounds, and Kildare County Council has corresponded to the HSE locally that the Department of Housing would look favourably on funding such works to bring these homes up to current code of standards. I am liaising with residents and the Department of Housing to bring all of these homes back into use as soon as possible.