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 On Tuesday 19 February 2008 an information booklet, Living in My Home, was launched by the Minister for Integration, Mr Conor Lenihan, at the Vincentian Refugee Centre (VRC) in Phibsboro. The purpose of the booklet is to provide practical information for refugees that will make home life in Ireland less stressful.
For several years, the Vincentian Refugee Centre has been assisting refugees to integrate into Irish society. What has become increasingly apparent is the number of people presenting at the Centre who face considerable difficulties with ordinary daily tasks, mainly because of their unfamiliarity with the English language. Particularly stressful for them is dealing with issues concerning social welfare, housing authorities, educational bodies and workplace officials.
 One particular consequence of language difficulties which many refugees experience is high utility bills. Staff from the VRC who visit refugees in their homes have observed that they are often unaware of how to work the heating and water systems. In many cases, immersion heaters are on all day, radiators dont work, other electrical equipment is left on continuously, and the occupants dont know how to operate the washing machine, the tumble dryer or the toaster. Visitors from the St Vincent de Paul made the same observations in this regard.
It was from experiences of this kind that Living in My Home was born. It was prepared jointly by the Vincentian Refugee Centre and the Dublin Region of the Society of St Vincent de Paul to help those coming into the country to manage aspects of their accommodation that we can take for granted.
At the launch, Minister Conor Lenihan commented on how useful the booklet will be to the many people we welcome to our shores, and he acknowledged the contribution which these people make to all our lives.
Sr Breege Keenan then explained that the booklet was born out of the everyday struggles of people of other nationalities coming to grips with a new culture. It is available in the eight languages most commonly spoken by people who turn to the Refugee Centre for assistance. It is currently being translated into a ninth language: Sudanese.
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