Longford County Council supports urgent call for Family Resource Centre in Longford Town
Needs assessment launch highlights critical service gaps in Longford Town
Press Release: Friday, 25 July 2025
Longford County Council has highlighted the urgent need for the establishment of a Family Resource Centre in Longford Town, following the launch of a comprehensive Needs Assessment Report by Deputy Micheál Carrigy, TD at The Attic House, Ballinalee Road.
The report reveals the stark reality facing Longford Town, which now ranks among the most deprived areas nationally. With 34.65% of residents born overseas, 6% identifying as Traveller community members, and over 24% living with disabilities, the Longford Town faces unprecedented challenges. Child protection referrals remain among the highest in the country, whilst poverty, housing instability, and school avoidance continue their upward trajectory.
Commissioned by Longford County Council in partnership with Sláintecare Healthy Communities and the Longford Community Safety Partnership, the assessment identified critical gaps in services for children, young people, families, older people, people with disabilities, Travellers, refugees, and asylum seekers.
Speaking at the recent launch Deputy Micheál Carrigy, TD said, “The report found practically unanimous agreement for establishing a Family Resource Centre, which would provide wraparound support services, facilitate integration, deliver educational resources, and create essential support networks for vulnerable communities.”
Paddy Mahon, Chief Executive of Longford County Council, said: "This needs assessment confirms what we've witnessed firsthand – Longford Town requires immediate, comprehensive family support infrastructure. The statistics paint a picture of a community under enormous pressure, but also one with tremendous resilience and potential. A Family Resource Centre represents not just a service, but a lifeline for families navigating complex challenges. We're committed to working with all partners to make this vision a reality."
Cathaoirleach Cllr Garry Murtagh said: "The figures speak for themselves – one in three residents born overseas, rising child protection cases, and mounting social pressures. Yet within these challenges lies opportunity. A Family Resource Centre would anchor our community response, providing the universal, accessible support that families desperately need. This is about building a stronger, more inclusive Longford for everyone."
A voluntary steering committee, comprising residents with lived experience, target group members, and individuals with governance expertise, has submitted a comprehensive application to Tusla following the reopening of Family Resource Centre funding in May 2025 – the first such opportunity since 2018.
The proposed centre would operate from The Attic House, Ballinalee Road, Longford Town which is owned by the community-led Attic House CLG, in partnership with existing tenant Foróige. If successful, the steering committee will form a voluntary board of management and incorporate as a company limited by guarantee.
Veronica Brennan, Chairperson of the Local Steering Committee, said: "This isn't about imposing solutions from outside – it's about our community identifying its own needs and building responses that work. Every member of our steering committee lives and breathes Longford Town. We understand the struggles because we've faced them ourselves. A Family Resource Centre would create the open-door policy this town needs – somewhere families can access support without stigma, where communities can build capacity, and where local knowledge drives real change."
Family Resource Centres operate within a community-based family support model, funded by Tusla and managed by local voluntary committees. They provide universal and targeted services whilst building community capacity and leadership. Longford already benefits from Bridgeways Family Resource Centre in Ballymahon and Lus Na Gréine Family Resource Centre in Granard.
The need for such a facility was first recognised over a decade ago, with an unsuccessful application made to Tusla in 2017/2018. Since then, the context has only intensified, making the establishment of wraparound support services both urgent and undeniable.
