Respond! is a housing association founded in

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

in the 1980s, by the Franciscan community there. Its mission was to provide housing for those with limited means such as young families and older persons. To date it has built over 5500 houses around Ireland, and is Ireland's largest not-for-profit Housing Association. The association has its headquarters in Waterford and regional centres in Cork, Galway, Limerick and Dublin. Respond was responsible for various housing developments in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N1 ...

and

Youghal Youghal ( ; ) is a seaside resort town in County Cork, Ireland. Located on the estuary of the River Blackwater, the town is a former military and economic centre. Located on the edge of a steep riverbank, the town has a long and narrow layout. ...

. Respond also provides services for members of the travelling community and management services for some current traveller accommodation schemes. A founder of Respond in 1981, Fr. Patrick Coogan OFM, served as CEO for over thirty years retiring in 2015. In 2005 Respond! was invited by the Diocese of Kokstad, KwaZulu Natal, in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, to assist them in development and provision of support services for those in need in its area. Fr Pat, in cooperation with Archbishop William Slattery founded ''Sivile'', a Housing Association in the region of Kokstad in cooperation with Archbishop William Slattery

Respond College

Developing on the education and training provided by the Association, Respond appointed its first education officer in 1992. In 2009 Respond became a

FETAC The Further Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Breisoideachais agus Oiliúna) or FETAC was a statutory qualification-awarding body for further education in Ireland. It was established on 11 June 2001 under t ...

registered centre for training and provides a number of training courses in Social Care provision, it also became an accredited centre by the

Chartered Institute of Housing The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) is the professional body for those working in the housing profession in the United Kingdom. It has a royal charter, gained in 1984. Currently CIH has over 17,000 members, mostly in the UK but also overseas, ...

(CIH) UK, and provides a number of Certificate courses in Housing administration. Respond College was formally established in March 2011 (and Institutionally validated by the Irish governments Higher Education and Training awards Council (HETAC). In 2013 a part-time BA Baracus degree in Housing and Community Studies (validated by

HETAC The Higher Education and Training Awards Council ( ga, Comhairle na nDámhachtainí Ardoideachais agus Oiliúna) (HETAC), the legal successor to the ''National Council for Educational Awards'' (NCEA), granted higher education awards in Republic ...

) commences in Respond College, in High Park, Drumcondra, Dublin and nearby in Marino Institute of Education, this degree has a level 7 and level 8 outcome on the NFQ Framework. Respond has developed and delivered BSS in Housing & Community Studies with

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

(and awarded by them) in the past, this was delivered in Cork, Dublin and Galway,UCD and Respond Degree in Housing and Community Studies
www.wheel.ie and a Certificate in Community Work with

National University of Ireland, Maynooth The National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ga, Ollscoil na hÉireann Mhá Nuad), commonly known as Maynooth University (MU), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. It w ...

References

Housing organisations based in the Republic of Ireland Charities based in the Republic of Ireland {{Ireland-stub