Dedicated community support helpline available 9.00 am to 5.00 pm
Phone: (01) 271 3199
Email: [email protected]
In a new initiative between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and Local Authorities across the country, new Covid-19 Community Response Forums have been put in place for each county and co-ordinated by the Local Authority in each case to assist vulnerable citizens.
A dedicated community support helpline has been established in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown to assist at risk members of the public in accessing non-emergency and non-medical supports and advice during the current public health emergency. The confidential phoneline service has been established by the new COVID-19 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Community Response Forum, which includes over a dozen agencies and organisations. The helpline is focused primarily on ensuring that vulnerable members of the community or those living alone can access deliveries of groceries, medicine and fuels. The role of the Forum is to ensure that there is a co-ordinated community response and to enable all voluntary statutory agencies to collaborate in support of our communities and particularly of our most vulnerable members.
Included in the COVID-19 Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Community Response Forum are:
- Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council
- Health Service Executive
- An Garda Síochána
- Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Public Participation Network
- Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Volunteer Centre
- Tusla Child & Family Agency
- ALONE
- GAA
- Community Welfare Service
- An Post
- Southside Partnership dlr
- Other community, voluntary and sports representatives
The new phoneline is just one aspect of the Forum’s work. Its core aim is contributing to the community-wide effort to limit the spread of COVID-19. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, through this group, will ensure that the wide variety of groups working across the county to assist those in need, will do so in an organised, collaborative and targeted way. The Council’s COVID-19 Community Response Forum is there to ensure the very best use of the many resources assisting vulnerable persons with their daily needs at this unprecedented time, whether that is collecting medication, food shopping, social support and contact.
Chief Executive of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council, Philomena Poole explains:
“There are a number of agencies currently doing excellent work in delivering care to older and vulnerable people in our communities. These groups are currently operating independently of each other and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councils role is to provide a targeted, integrated and coordinated approach to the delivery of these much needed services to our more vulnerable citizens across the county during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Councilis ideally placed both statutorily and regionally to channel this great work and provide the governance structure in partnership with all stakeholders. This public health crisis has changed life for so many, and we are there to help with that change. Our own staff whose day-jobs have changed due to this crisis, will be a key resource in the management and operation of this community support programme along with our partner agencies/groups. Set to come into effect from 9am on Monday 30th March, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdownhas provided a dedicated contact number (01) 271 3199 with the lines open from 9am to 5pm seven days a week.”
Contact details of this new service are being promoted locally on the dlrCoCo website, social media and other community forums. An information leaflet including the new freephone number and other information will be distributed around the county, particularly to vulnerable households, over the coming days.
