Charity helps 1,100 families secure a home 

Actors and dancers took part in a bucket collection for Focus Ireland in Dublin city centre last week. From left: Paul Byrom with his dog Bradley, Joe Conlon, actor Johnny Ward, and dancer Don King. Picture: Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland

Focus Ireland has helped more than 1,100 households to secure a home over the past year and has launched a Christmas appeal to help keep families safe during the ongoing pandemic.

The charity said 940 of those homes had been secured since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March, often in partnership with the State or other organisations.

It has also prevented almost 400 households – including 194 families –from losing their homes and entering homelessness this year.

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said: "It goes without saying that this has been an incredibly difficult and challenging year for the whole country and there is plenty more to be done in the area of homelessness to keep people safe during this pandemic and beyond.

The COVID-19 emergency means that this year, people experiencing homelessness need our support more than ever.
Kilsaran made a Platinum Star donation to @FocusIreland, an amount which will support the Family Homeless Action Team to work with 49 families to help exit homelessness. pic.twitter.com/UjUuFsalqJ

— Kilsaran (@Kilsaran) December 17, 2020

"We are not saying that 1,500 households are not homeless solely because of the work of Focus Ireland, every case involved partnerships, whether those be with Government, local authorities, Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Tusla or the HSE. And each of them should be as proud of these achievements as are we.

We must remember there are still nearly 9,000 people homeless and over 2,600 of them are children so a lot more needs to be done to end this terrible human crisis."

The organisation must raise more than 40% of its annual budget through fundraising, something made more difficult by the pandemic.

Focus Ireland founder Sr Stanislaus Kennedy made an urgent appeal for public support this Christmas at www.focusireland.ie or 1850 204 205 and said: 

Any donation will help us to directly support these children and help their families to get out of homelessness."

The charity sought to present an example of its recent work through the story of Sarah O'Brien, a 30-year-old mother-of-three, now in a three-bed supported transitional house in Grange Cohen in Waterford but who was previously homeless.

Did you miss our amazing #StationSessions ?
Re-live a unique set of irish music performances to assist @FocusIreland in its the fight to end homelessness.

Our 2nd night in Kent Station with @ELangfordMusic @JackORourkes @emeroflaherty & @MickFlannery https://t.co/2iOnlI9hQG

— Iarnród Éireann (@IrishRail) December 17, 2020

At the start of 2020, she was living in an apartment when there was a violent shooting in the block where she lived and she witnessed a man being shot dead in front of her. 

She subsequently had a breakdown and was placed in the Focus Ireland three-bed transitional housing, which allowed her to get her life back on track.

The charity said while Sarah acknowledges she is not ready for independent living at the moment, she is keen to move on from the intergenerational cycle of care and abuse she grew up in and has successfully overcome her addictions and is now focused on improving her life and those of her children.

"She loves where she is now and says she has the Focus Ireland staff in a building in her estate and she can see them whenever she feels down or needs support," a Focus Ireland spokesman said. 

"She is working towards her goal of moving out of transitional housing and hopes when she is ready that there will be a home available for her and in the meantime, she is very grateful for the support she gets from Focus Ireland."