Volunteers to open unit's doors to Waterford's homeless on Christmas Day

Waterford Helping The Homeless has reported a doubling in numbers attending for breakfast at their unit over the past year

(Left to right) Waterford Helping The Homeless volunteer Jackie Laffan, co-ordinator Victor Sullivan, volunteer Michael Moonry and co-ordinator Susan Moran at the Waterford Helping The Homeless facility. Picture: Noel Browne

“We’ve had 17 people in already for breakfast,” Susie Moran of Waterford Helping The Homeless told the Irish Examiner just after 11am on the second last Friday before Christmas.

Based in a first-floor unit owned by the adjacent Maranatha Church, just off the city’s Railway Square, the volunteer-led organisation has reported a doubling in numbers attending for breakfast over the past year.

Volunteer Jackie Laffan cooking breakfast at the Waterford Helping The Homeless facility. Picture: Noel Browne

“We’ve gone from having around 10 people in here most mornings to just over 20 from Monday through to Saturday,” said Susie.

“We provide dinners on Saturday and Sunday evenings, while Sunday is the only morning we don’t provide breakfast as most of us go to church but the Maranatha (church) opens up for tea and coffee that morning so the lads that we support still have somewhere they can meet and have a chat then.” 

On a typical Saturday, approximately 40 people enjoy a sit-in meal at the unit, while an outreach service run by Susie and organisation founder Victor Sullivan supplies “between 15 and 20 dinners” to various city locations. Over the first weekend in December alone, the group served or distributed 122 dinners in Waterford.

Food and other essentials continue to be donated through a Facebook page which Susie monitors “day and night” as well as through a GoFundMe account, which has already generated €8,000 since its November launch.

“The kindness of strangers is literally keeping us going,” said Susie. “The Waterford public has been fantastic. We couldn’t do what we do without their support. 

People enjoying a sit-in meal at the Waterford Helping The Homeless facility. Picture: Noel Browne

"The Facebook page has built a profile and made us more widely known and the support we’ve received, especially through the GoFundMe page on the run-up to Christmas has been incredible. We’d set €2,000 as our initial target so what we’ve brought in so far is beyond all expectations.

“And the support means so much. We’re gobsmacked by it. Everything we buy is receipted and accounted for because people should see where their money is going.” 

Victor Sullivan, who established the group in 2020, identified the need for such support in Waterford having volunteered for a sister organisation in Kilkenny previously.

“We never dreamt we'd be looking after so many people,” he said. “We really thought it'd be a fairly small number but homelessness has increased since we set ourselves up and then the cost-of-living crisis has made things so tough on people making choices between paying a heating or electricity bill. 

It’s not just homeless people we support; there are isolated and elderly people in the city along with families with empty cupboards who have no-one else they feel they can turn to, but they’ve found some sense of solace with us. 

"It’s been such an eye-opener. The way that the public has in turn reached out to us has been wonderful and we’re so thankful for each and every donation.” 

Alan, who sought support from the group in June 2022 due to his own experience of homelessness, is now among the team of 12 volunteers that continues to fuel the organisation’s engine.

Volunteers Jackie Laffan and Alan Kennedy at the Waterford Helping The Homeless facility, Railway Square, Waterford. Picture: Noel Browne

“I couldn't believe there was a place like this,” he said. “Within a week of coming in the door and up those stairs, I knew I was in a safe space with people I could trust. And looking back on the past 18 months, the level of help I’ve gotten and the strength I’ve gained from being here is hard to fully describe. 

"Everyone here has done so much for me that I knew I had to give something back because I know what it’s like when you feel you’ve nowhere or no-one left to turn to."

Alan added: “This place and the people who make this place what it is have done so much for people who have been and still are in desperate situations. It’s become a lifeline for so many of us.

Come Christmas Day, Waterford Helping The Homeless will open its doors to those who want a meal, company or both.

“St Joseph's (School) will be open at about 12:30pm on Christmas Day for its annual meal while we’ll be open from 3pm onwards,” said Susie.

“A few of those who go to St Joseph’s have said to me that the toughest part of Christmas Day used to be when they finished up there and had nowhere else to go afterwards. So that convinced us to open our doors in the afternoon so that they can come here for the rest of the evening. 

(Left to right) Volunteer Jackie Laffan, Gerrit Van Maarleveed of the Maranatha Church and Co-ordinator Susan Moran at the Waterford Helping The Homeless facility. Picture: Noel Browne

"Last year, we had karaoke and were in here until 8 or 9 that night. It filled the whole day for people who, for many different reasons, find Christmas very difficult.” 

Said Victor Sullivan: “There’s no judgement inside these walls. We sit, eat, talk and laugh together. I’d like to think that whenever anyone heads off down those stairs, that they’ll leave feeling a little bit better. And that they know they’ll always be welcome here.” 

A discussion about a potential application for charitable status is set to be held by Waterford Helping The Homeless come the New Year.