By Michelle Crean

A Kerry charity that supports victims of Domestic Violence is ready for a busy Christmas as they’ve seen a significant increase in the numbers needing help this year.

300 women and their children sought help through the ADAPT refuge, advocacy and outreach services.

So far this year there have been 68 admissions to the refuge. The service also supported many other women through their Outreach programme, women who need a spectrum of supports including a safe person to talk to as well as support navigating the courts, medical, mental health, health and well-being systems.

"It is our aim to ensure that women are more supported because of their engagement with us," Catherine Casey, General Manager of ADAPT, said.

"We aim to assess the risk of harm that the perpetrators of violence pose to the women and her children and look at options that can protect that family. It is very important that ADAPT Kerry deliver a trauma-informed response that reflects the needs of the woman. We are fortunate to have the backing of the people of Kerry who support us in this aim, organisations and individuals who fundraise and continuously support our charity shop. This funding allows us to put in place, people and ‘resilience’ funds that directly support the women and children who reach out to us.”

SUPPORT

Homelessness due to Domestic Violence is one of the biggest challenges to face the sector and creates ongoing difficulty for women trying to access safety.

“ADAPT Kerry remains committed to securing additional crisis accommodation for families in Kerry. We are striving to ensure that Kerry is prioritised in any new refuge developments and we are thankful to Kerry County Council for their continuing commitment to tackling homelessness due to Domestic Violence.”

However, she said it can be hard to forecast what Christmas will look like in the refuge. It is the nature of the service.

“We prepare to support a full refuge, to ensure that Santa knows who is here and we provide Christmas dinner. We make sure there is a Christmas tree in every apartment and decorate our refuge, all with the aim of ensuring a chink of light and support during a crisis time and to create softer landings for women and children. We also prepare to support 75 additional families that have linked with us over the last 12 months and perhaps are facing the first Christmas in new accommodation.”

ADAPT gets a range of support from local fundraisers and from services such as Foodcloud, Foodshare, Kerry Foods, Tesco, Oakpark Daybreak, Toys Upstairs, individual donors and businesses in the community who provide vital resources.