History of Exchange House Travellers Service 1980 - 2006
In 1980 the Eastern Health Board asked the Dublin Committee for Travelling People to respond to the needs of a group of Traveller children and teenagers who were sleeping rough and misusing solvents on the streets of the city. A night shelter and day care provision for these young people was established in Exchange House on Exchange Street, in Dublin. As a result of this location, the organisation became known as Exchange House Traveller Family Support Service, or simply, Exchange House.

In the intervening years, Exchange House moved from its central city location, spent some time on the Navan Road, followed by a period in the offices of SICCDA on Meath Street, and on James Street. In 2005, Exchange House was granted the use of a premises on Great Strand Street in the city centre, by the Christian Brothers.

Over the past 25 years, the organisation changed significantly in response to the emerging needs of Travellers in Dublin. During the 1980s, programmes funded by FAS provided training and development for many Travellers, followed by EU funded Horizon and NOW programmes.

The Family Support Service has developed and expanded, now offering a flexible, outreach crisis intervention service to Travellers in the Dublin area, with family support workers, welfare rights information and drugs addiction counselling.

In 1987, Travellers Youth Service was formed, funded by CDYSB. In 1997, the Travellers Youth Service joined Exchange House, bringing a wealth of experience and expertise in working with young people. Many of the youth workers are Travellers themselves, thus enhancing the capacity of the organisation to work with the Traveller community. Since 2001, Exchange House has been running After-Schools programmes in Labre Park, Ballyfermot and St. Oliver’s Park, Clondalkin. These have proved to be positive in developing relationships between parents and local schools and are leading to increased retention in the education system. The LOTS pilot programme 2005/6 has provided a specific intervention for boys in Labre Park.

Following research into the difficulties Travellers have in accessing legal and affordable credit, the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs provided funds for a Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) to be set up within the Exchange House structure in 1998, providing an outreach service across the Dublin region. In 2005, Exchange House MABS became National Traveller MABS with a national brief. While it is a separate organisation now within the MABS structure, we still maintain close links.

The CDVEC have provided funding for literacy tutors since 1993 and the service is now offered on an outreach basis as well, providing basic adult education in people’s homes, on sites, wherever it is requested.

Parallel to the above developments, the education provision of Exchange House continued to develop. A Women’s Pre-Employment Group developed in Labre Park, Ballyfermot. Building on that experience, the Women’s Multi-Skills Development Group started in Meath Street.

Our new premises on Great Strand Street provides us with a wonderful opportunity to develop a high quality centre for Education and Development for our client group. We have appointed a Team Leader with specific responsibility to develop the centre. The strategic plan 2006 - 2009 is a key mechanism in our endeavour to enhance the lives of our clients through engagement in learning and personal development for a better future for themselves and their families.