SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is an international voluntary Catholic Christian organisation. Its work is in supporting members of society who experience poverty and exclusion and is based on the Catholic social teaching of love of God and love of our neighbour. SVP aims to treat people with dignity and provides a welcoming environment to all those who present themselves for assistance in a confidential manner.

Here in Longford SVP volunteers work in 4 areas:

1. The Hostels / Refuge supply almost 40 beds to homeless people and to victims of domestic violence. These hostels have been providing a safe haven and home-from-home for many people.

2. The Thrift Shop on Dublin Street provides people in need with new or second-hand clothing and is operated with the generosity of over 40 volunteers. It is a place full of treasures for home and self at very reasonable prices.

3. The Visitation Conference helps families in crisis and tries to break the cycle of poverty by supporting people to access training and education and has about 25 members. It runs a weekly clinic and provides home support for those in need.

4. A ‘Housing Scheme’ with 10 houses and a community centre was opened early in 2009. All of the houses are now occupied and the new community centre has become a focal point for the area.

History: The first conference was established in Longford in 1859. Ozanam House, the headquarters of the Conference was opened in 1969. Today this houses the Visitation Conference and the weekly clinic. This building, which is in close proximity to the Cathedral, symbolises the fact that the work of charity that is done by the Society is rightly at the centre of the life of the parish and the diocese. The later development of two important places of refuge on the Dublin Road, St. Martha’s and Bethany House, furthers the role the Society plays in reaching out to the homeless. One of these provides beds and a first meal of the day for men, the other accommodation for women and their children. Through its responses to changing circumstances and new kinds of need, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul has created awareness in our community of our responsibilities arising from Catholic social teaching.