Community loan for Ardara Sheltered Housing Association Ltd.
In 2004, members of the local Vincent de Paul formed the association to address the needs of the local elderly population. Through their close contact with the community they had seen how many of the elderly lived alone in isolated areas. This isolation invariably meant many local elderly spent their final years not in their own communities, but in nursing homes in towns such as Buncrana or Letterkenny.
And so work began to provide a ‘step up’ facility - sheltered housing that brought elderly people together and kept them at home in their own community. The benefits of such a facility were clear: better quality of life for the elderly, allied with better access to health care and other necessary services.
The association’s plans were ambitious: 29 sheltered housing units, 1 caretakers' unit and a communal facility. Today, the developement is virtually complete, with most of the units now filled.
Clann Credo provided support because the project addressed a very obvious social deficit and delivered a very tangible social dividend. It was also felt that the development of the facility would be of benefit to the wider community and would contribute to the local economy. Indeed, it is planned to use the communal section of the new facility for services such as daycare, recreational activities and community events.
Location: Ardara, Co. Donegal
"Clann Credo provided support because the project addressed a very obvious social deficit and delivered a very tangible social dividend."
