HOMELESSNESS IN IRELAND has reached crisis point.
It’s an issue that is visible to us all walking around cities and towns around Ireland. The economic downturn and housing troubles of recent years have brought this issue very much to the fore as those most disadvantaged in our society are right at the brink.
One organisation that is doing something about this problem in Irish society is the Peter McVerry Trust. Here are some notable facts about the group working to tackle this issue.
Fr Peter McVerry started working with young people in Dublin’s north inner city way back in 1974. It was here that he saw first-hand the key issues of homelessness and deprivation – going on to set up his first small hostel in 1979 specifically designed to provide accommodation for homeless boys between the ages of 12 and 16.
Fr McVerry founded what would become the Peter McVerry Trust in 1983 while working in Ballymun. Since then, the charity has developed from a three-bedroom flat in Ballymun to what it is today.
Today the Trust operates 11 homeless hostels, over 100 apartments, a residential drug detox centre and two drug stabilisation services. The essential vision of PMVT (as it’s known) is to support all those living on the margins and to uphold their rights to full inclusion in society.
Figures from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, released last month, outlined that almost five and a half thousand adults stayed in emergency homeless shelters in Dublin alone last year. Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust, said this:
The fact that 5,480 adults experienced homelessness in Dublin last year is frightening. To think that when children are added to this figure we had over 7,000 people experience homelessness in Dublin during 2015 is simply shocking.
Homelessness is increasing year on year in Ireland. Between December 2014 and 2015, there was a net rise in the number of people recorded as homeless of 1,700 people. That’s a shocking 43% increase.
Speaking about this, Peter McVerry said:
The reality is, that in the last 12 months, an extra 645 individuals are using emergency homeless accommodation.
In the last year, an extra two families a day were becoming homeless, almost all evicted from the private rental sector because they were unable to pay the rent because the rent supplement was too low.
However, there are successes stories in the fight against homelessness – like this story of two young homeless people, Emma and Patrick, in the below video called Moving On. This short video shows the true nature of homelessness in Ireland today.
You can see more of the type of work that the PMVT does in the infographic below – including prevention services, drug treatment facilities, housing first initiatives, under-18s services and more.
If you can’t see this infographic, click here to view it.
Yes. Your donations and your time can help change the lives of homeless people in Ireland. From volunteering to organising fundraisers to getting your workplace involved, there are lots of ways to support PMVT. Read more here.
Since 2010, DoneDeal has operated a bi-monthly charity initiative, based around donating to worthwhile causes in the wider community. Every second month, members of staff in DoneDeal select a charity to donate to, and 10% of the cost of placing an ad with DoneDeal goes directly to that designated charity. In March, DoneDeal (and their advertisers) are supporting the Peter McVerry Trust, the Alzheimers Society of Ireland and My Canine Companion. For more info and a full list of charities helped by advertisers on DoneDeal, click here.
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