Cope Foundation is appealing to businesses and groups to provide suitable, spare space to enable them to continue providing a day service for the people supported by the organisation. Cope Foundation, a registered charity working with people with an intellectual disability and/or autism, is seeking suitable space to either sub-let or use on a pro-bono basis.
The ongoing restrictions caused by Covid-19 means that almost all of Cope Foundation’s day services have had to limit the numbers of people who can safely attend. As a result, many people across Cork have seen their day service hours significantly reduced and Cope Foundation is concerned about the impact this is having on people and their families. The organisation is now looking for suitable space to allow elements of its day services to be delivered in these new locations as an interim measure so that it can provide more services for people.
Ideally, the space would be:
o private i.e. not shared or used by others at the time
o accessible for people with disabilities
o equipped with bathroom facilities
o available for use Monday-Friday during the daytime
o accessible by public transport
Cope Foundation supports people across the city and throughout Cork so the current appeal for space applies to the city or any of the larger towns.
Sean Abbott Chief Executive at Cope Foundation says, “It is so important that we continue to look at ways to fully and safely resume our services amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. We are committed to doing everything we can for the people we support and their families. Cork businesses and the community have always been supportive of us and now we need their help to keep a sense of normality for the people we support during this challenging time.
Marian Hennessy, coordinator of Cope Foundation’s Ability@Work Programme says, “For the first few months of the initial lockdown my team worked remotely for safety reasons. When it was safe for us to resume our service we found we didn’t have adequate space for the team to do this effectively. I contacted one of the companies our Team works with and told them about the barriers we were experiencing in terms of work space and without hesitation they offered us a weekly space to use in one of their function rooms. The sheer size of this room afforded us the opportunity to do face to face work with participants. Because of this company’s generosity, we have been able to recommence a full service, which is incredible. Since August, our Ability@Work Team has gained 5 frontline essential worker jobs on the strength of this kindness. It would be great to see more of this happening across the city and county so that more services can be available for people we support.”
Companies, community groups and workplaces who have some space capacity that can be offered to Cope Foundation are asked to contact Derval McDonagh, General Manager Person-Centred Services and Supports. Telephone 021 4643100 or email headoffice@cope-foundation.ie.