Ms Rosaleen Lally:

I thank the Deputy. I live in Belmullet, County Mayo, and we have built eight houses for people with disabilities in the town. The difference that has made to those eight people is incredible. They are living fully independent lives, getting integrated and have gone back to employment or education. They are giving so much back to the community and getting involved in all the committees.

Talking about congregated settings, last year we moved a young lady who had a stroke when she was 39 and spent nine years in the local nursing home into one of our houses that became available. She lived through Covid in the Belmullet nursing home and never left her room for two years. Prior to that, the only time she left her room was to come in to our day service two days per week where she had met the tenants, seen the houses and formed her dream. We moved her out of the nursing home during Covid. She had never seen the house she was moving into. The community had got together and furnished and painted the house for her. Her life has completely changed and that is the reality of having an accessible house. She is living independently and has gone back to further education. She has a dog, which she always wanted. The most thing she says she loves is the silence at night: no bells ringing and nobody coming into the room, walking the corridors or shouting for assistance. That was so powerful.